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August 10, 2011
In-Depth Issues:
Former Syrian Defense Minister Dispels Rumors of Death - Roee Nahmias (Ynet News)
Former Syrian Defense Minister Ali Habib appeared on Syrian state television Wednesday in order to dispel rumors of his death.
Gaddafi Son Shown on Libyan TV, Contradicting Reports of His Death (AP-Washington Post)
Libyan state television on Wednesday broadcast images of a man it said was Khamis Gaddafi, Moammar Gaddafi's youngest son, who commands one of the best trained and equipped units in the Libyan military, undercutting rebel claims of his death last week.
Chinese Chief of Staff's Israeli Trip Signals Thaw (China Daily)
The visit of Gen. Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), to Israel next week signals warming bilateral ties once darkened by Israel's cancelled arms deals with Beijing.
In 2000, Israel suspended the sale of four advanced early-warning Phalcon aircraft to China because they were installed with U.S. technology. Since then, all Israeli military exports to China have been subjected to strict inspections to ensure they do not include U.S. technology.
Gaza Summer Camps Include Political Indoctrination (Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center)
In June-August 2011, nearly 50,000 children and adolescents took part in Hamas-run summer camps in Gaza, as they do every year.
In addition to social activities, the camps offered Quran lessons, indoctrination with Hamas' political ideology, and paramilitary training.
The core values are radical Islam, "the liberation of Palestine," jihad, and death for the sake of Allah.
The older children use real rifles in paramilitary training, which also includes hand-to-hand combat.
At the summer camp graduation ceremony in Al-Zeitoun on July 29, teenagers in military uniform reenacted the abduction of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit and blew up a cardboard model of an Israeli tank.
IDF Creating "Red" Infantry Team - Yaakov Katz (Jerusalem Post)
Following a decision by Ground Forces Command head Maj.-Gen. Sami Turgeman, IDF infantry units will begin to train against a special IDF unit simulating an enemy which will be trying hard to win.
The unit will study enemy tactics and work to create a training scenario as real as possible, officers said.
Ethiopian-Born Shlomo Molla Becomes Deputy Knesset Speaker - Lahav Harkov (Jerusalem Post)
MK Shlomo Molla (Kadima) was elected deputy Knesset speaker on Wednesday.
Molla, who made aliya from Gondar province in Ethiopia at age 19 in 1984, said he hopes to show Israeli society that "immigrants from any country can be partners in building the land and the State of Israel."
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- U.S. to Tell Assad that He Must Go - Bradley Klapper
The Obama administration is preparing to explicitly demand the departure of Syrian President Bashar Assad and hit his regime with tough new sanctions, U.S. officials said Tuesday as the State Department signaled for the first time that American efforts to engage the government are finally over. Officials said the move will be a direct response to Assad's decision to step up the crackdown against demonstrators by sending tanks into opposition hotbeds.
The new formulation will make it clear that Assad can no longer be a credible reformist and should leave power, the officials said. "You can't have any kind of partnership with a regime that does this kind of thing to innocents," added State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. (AP)
See also Syria Rejects Turkey's Plea to End Crackdown - Nada Bakri
President Bashar al-Assad of Syria rebuffed an appeal from Turkey on Tuesday to end the Syrian crackdown. Assad said in a statement after a six-hour meeting with Turkey's foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, that his government would press ahead with its fight against the instigators of the uprising. "We shared our views for the bloodshed to stop as soon as possible and people of Syria from all sects to live in peace in the future," Davutoglu said after his meeting with Assad. A Turkish official said the U.S. was seeking further sanctions on Syria, a position that Turkey opposes. (New York Times)
See also Syrian Troops Take Over Eastern City after Four Days of Fighting
Syrian troops seized control of the eastern city of Deir el-Zour Wednesday following four days of intense shelling and gunfire. An activist said, "They are shooting anything that moves." On Wednesday, Syrian troops launched another operation in three suburbs of the capital Damascus. (AP-Washington Post) - Egypt's Rulers Stoke Anti-U.S. Trend - Yaroslav Trofimov
Egypt's new military rulers are increasingly portraying pro-democracy activists as spies and saboteurs, blaming the country's economic crisis and sectarian strife on foreign infiltrators, and blasting the U.S. for funding agents of change. As a result, connections with the U.S. and other Western countries have turned toxic. Dozens of Westerners, including tourists, reporters and Cairo residents, have been rounded up on the streets and delivered to police stations and military checkpoints by mobs of volunteer spy catchers in recent weeks. Almost all were quickly freed, with the exception of Ilan Grapel, an Israeli-American law student who has been incarcerated since June on suspicion of being a Mossad agent.
The military-inspired xenophobia campaign has been amplified by resurgent Islamists, who are traditionally hostile to any infidel influence in the country, and jingoistic reports in parts of the Egyptian media. Though the country receives $1.3 billion in military aid from the U.S. every year, Egyptian generals have repeatedly condemned as traitors nongovernment organizations that accept American money, and Cairo prosecutors have started an inquiry into these NGOs. (Wall Street Journal)
- U.S. Ambassador: Economy Won't Affect Obligations toward Israel - Herb Keinon
New U.S. envoy Dan Shapiro, on a tour of an Iron Dome anti-missile battery near Ashkelon, said America's commitment to Israel's security "has been consistent through many ups and downs of our own economy." He noted that President Barack Obama and the Congress "were united in providing the full funding of Israel's annual military systems package, as well as the additional $200 million represented in the Iron Dome Program. So, I have a lot of confidence that our commitments will continue."
Shapiro reiterated Washington's opposition to the Palestinian bid for statehood recognition at the UN in September, saying, "We don't support any unilateral attempt to try to solve this conflict through the United Nations. It can only be resolved through direct negotiations." (Jerusalem Post) - U.S. Expresses "Concern" over New Jerusalem Construction - Herb Keinon and Melanie Lidman
The U.S. is "deeply concerned" by Israel's decision to approve construction of 930 apartments in the Har Homa neighborhood in Jerusalem, a State Department official said Tuesday. The U.S. has raised the issue with the government in Jerusalem, the official said. The Har Homa "C" neighborhood is adjacent to the existing Har Homa neighborhood in the capital's southeast.
"We are continuing to build in Jerusalem and in all of Israel," Interior Minister Eli Yishai said in a statement, adding, "The lack of housing is severe and we will not stop projects." An official in the Prime Minister's Office said the project has been in the works for some time. "The prime minister never agreed to a construction freeze in Jerusalem," he said. "No one was surprised by this, least of all the Palestinians." (Jerusalem Post)
See also What Do the Residents of Har Homa Say? - Nir Hasson
Har Homa (officially "Homat Shmuel" - "Samuel's wall") has 20,000 residents, wide streets, modern infrastructure, and plans to build another 2,000 housing units. The neighborhood was set up in the face of strong Palestinian and international protests during Benjamin Netanyahu's first term as prime minister.
Attorney Herzl Yechezkel, head of its residents' committee, says: "It's our right to build up Jerusalem...the capital of the Jewish people....The demands of the world are hallucinatory. It's as if I were to say: Don't build in Washington." (Ha'aretz-10Nov2010)
See also The Strategic Significance of Har Homa - Lenny Ben-David (I*Consult)
- The Syrian Regime: Protests at Home and Criticism from Abroad - Liad Porat and Gallia Lindenstrauss
Reports of the mass murder of civilians and allegations of crimes against humanity by Bashar al-Assad's regime are multiplying, while the number of participants in the Syrian protests has risen steadily. Minorities that have only recently begun to participate actively in the protests include Kurds and Christians.
There is growing pressure on the Alawis, the power base supporting the regime, to turns their back on the Assad family and join in the demonstrations. According to Western estimates, it is only a matter of time before the Alawis cross over to the protesters' side. Not only do the Alawis fear the response of Assad's regime should they join the protests, but they also fear the Sunni Muslim majority when considering the day after the fall of Assad's regime. (Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University) - Syrians Must Win the Revolution on their Own - Joshua Landis
The U.S. should not try to hit the fast-forward button on the process of revolutionary change overtaking Syria. Building national unity is a long and painful process. It cannot be given as a gift. Syrians must win their own revolution. The Syrian opposition's lack of leaders has many U.S. policymakers scared. They don't want to bring down the regime before there is some structure or leadership to take its place. Iraq is fresh in everyone's minds, not least for American policy planners. The quick toppling of the Iraqi regime brought militias and civil war.
Before Syrian businessmen will help overthrow the Assads, they need a safe alternative. They are not going to embrace - not to mention fund - a leaderless bunch of young activists who want to smash everything that smells of Baathist privilege, corruption, and cronyism. After all, who are the CEOs of Syria's crony capitalism if not the business elites of Aleppo and Damascus? The writer is director of the Center for Middle East Studies and associate professor at the University of Oklahoma. (Foreign Policy) - A Return to the 1947 Partition Plan? - Frank Loewenberg
All of the Arab states voted against the UN Partition Plan - UN Resolution 181 on the partition of Palestine - that was adopted by the General Assembly on Nov. 29, 1947. Now, 64 years later, the Palestinians have second thoughts about their rejection of the plan.
The UN Partition Plan unambiguously calls for the establishment of a Jewish state. This provision is contrary to the Palestinian Authority's stated position that it will never recognize Israel as a Jewish state. The Partition Plan specifically states, "No discrimination of any kind shall be made between the inhabitants on the ground of race, religion, language or sex." "Arabs and Jews who...reside in Palestine...shall...become citizens of the state in which they are resident and enjoy full civil and political rights." Yet PA President Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly made it clear that there is no room for Jews in the future state called Palestine.
UN Resolution 181 calls for the establishment of a special international regime for the City of Jerusalem, which it defines as including Bethlehem. Are the Palestinians really willing to give up Arab control of Bethlehem? The writer is a professor emeritus at Bar-Ilan-University. (Winnipeg Jewish Review)
- It took far too long, but the cruelty of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has finally registered with his Arab neighbors. They are speaking out against a reign of terror that has claimed the lives of as many as 1,600 courageous Syrians since pro-democracy protests began in March.
- The harshest statement came on Sunday from King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. On Monday, along with Kuwait and Bahrain, Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Damascus in protest.
- The fact that they waited so long is a disgrace. Initially, Arab leaders viewed Syria as too powerful and too important to cross. But it has been clear for some time that Assad is destabilizing the region (thousands of Syrians have fled to Turkey) and eventually will be brought down. Assad also has been an important ally of Iran - whom they all fear.
- The international community needs to keep up the diplomatic pressure and broaden sanctions to include the energy sector until those enabling Assad - the military and the business community - force him out.
Helicopter Shootdown in Afghanistan
Hits Navy SEALs
By Patrick Martin
URL of this article: www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=25935
Global Research, August 8, 2011
The
shooting down of a US Chinook helicopter early Saturday morning in
Afghanistan killed 38 soldiers, including 30 Americans and eight
Afghans. Among the dead were 22 Navy SEALs, an elite special forces
squad. Seven helicopter crew members and air combat controllers, a dog
handler, seven Afghan soldiers and an Afghan interpreter died along with
the SEALs.
According to press reports citing unnamed military
sources, the SEALs were called in for a rescue operation after a small
unit of US special forces, from the Army Rangers, was pinned down by
Taliban fighters. The SEALs flew in on the helicopter and drove off the
Taliban attackers, killing eight of them. They had just reboarded the
helicopter for the return flight when a rocket-propelled grenade or
surface-to-air missile hit the Chinook and destroyed it in mid-air.
A conflicting account of the attack, also citing
military sources, suggested that the Taliban fighters were killed after
the helicopter was shot down, not before, when a second US
helicopter-borne special forces unit landed, attacked the Taliban, and
then sought to retrieve the bodies and the wreckage.
Saturday’s disaster reproduces exactly the pattern of
the previous worst tactical defeat for US forces in the war, when a US
helicopter was shot down in Kunar province in June 2005, killing 16
soldiers. Those troops were also engaged in a rescue operation for a
smaller group of special forces who were surrounded and ultimately
killed by Taliban fighters.
Accounts by residents of the Tangi valley in Wardak
province, interviewed by McClatchy News Service, contradicted both
military versions. They said that the helicopter was shot down before it
could land, by Taliban fighters who had been given advance warning of
the night raid and were on the alert against it.
The Los Angeles Times reported, “In a
statement Saturday, the Taliban claimed its fighters had ambushed
Western troops after being tipped off to an imminent night raid in the
district. If true, that would amount to a devastating breach of U.S.
operational security. The Taliban statement, from spokesman Zabiullah
Mujahid, was unusually specific in some of its details, including the
number of troops killed—even before Afghan officials released the
number.”
Whatever the exact sequence of events, the military
disaster—the single worst loss of life for US forces in the 10 years of
warfare—was a direct outcome of the escalation of special forces
operations throughout Afghanistan.
Some 10,000 of the 100,000 US troops deployed in
Afghanistan are drawn from various special forces commands. They serve
as the spearhead of what the media call “counterterrorism”
operations—although the campaign would be better described as the
systematic assassination of suspected opponents of the US occupation and
its stooge president, Hamid Karzai.
The Obama administration is investing more and more
heavily in such actions to prop up the unpopular Karzai regime and
deplete the ranks of the guerrilla forces fighting the US-NATO
occupation. In the second quarter of the year, according to NATO
figures, special forces troops conducted 2,832 night raids, double the
number during the same period a year ago, killing 834 insurgents and
capturing 2,941.
Officials in Kabul and Washington issued statements
denying that the incident represented a significant tactical or
strategic setback for the US military intervention in Afghanistan, but
this posture is belied by the scale of the disaster—the loss of nearly
10 percent of the total manpower of SEAL Team 6, estimated in press
accounts as 250 to 300 men.
The losses were the greatest inflicted on Navy
special forces since World War II. Each commando is the product of a
five-year training program, making the losses that much more difficult
to replace. SEAL Team 6 was the unit that carried out the assassination
of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan May 2, though US officials claimed that
none of those involved in that attack was killed in Wardak.
The location of the disaster also demonstrates the
deepening crisis of the US occupation regime. Wardak province borders on
Kabul, and the Tangi Valley has served as a key infiltration route into
the capital region for Taliban fighters.
Despite the escalation of the US military effort over
the past three years, since Obama entered the White House, the
anti-occupation forces remain well entrenched in Wardak, only 50 miles
from Kabul.
According to a McClatchy News account, headlined,
“Valley where US troops died backs Taliban,” the increasing frequency of
night raids and assassinations by US forces has deeply alienated the
local population.
Roshanak Wardak, a doctor and former member of
parliament, told McClatchy the raids occur “every night. We are very
much miserable.” Another doctor told the news service, “The Americans
are committing barbaric acts in the area and this is the reason that the
Taliban have influence.”
A local villager, Abdul Rehman Barakzai, said that as
many as three civilians were killed in a US raid in the area the night
before the shooting down of the helicopter. He added, “The Taliban are
so active in the region that they forced the Americans to abandon a base
here about two or three months ago because the base was under attack
day and night. The area ... is completely under the control of the
Taliban.”
Another villager told McClatchy that the anti-US
insurgency was broadly based in the province. “From each house at least
one person is with the Taliban,” he said.
A separate US news account confirmed this general
assessment, citing the statement of a US Army intelligence officer in
the Tangi valley, “It’s a stronghold for the Taliban.”
Shahidullah Shahid, a spokesman for the governor of Wardak, confirmed this account, telling the Washington Post,
“The Americans left because they were getting casualties with each
operation ... and since then, the insurgents have increased their
activity.”
The British daily newspaper Guardian raised
an even more disturbing prospect—from the standpoint of American and
British imperialism—raised by the helicopter shootdown.
The newspaper said that NATO investigators “will want
to discover whether the aircraft was downed by a lucky shot from a
rocket-propelled grenade, a highly inaccurate weapon, or by something
more sophisticated,” like Manpad surface-to-air missile systems.” It
added: “Classified military reports released by WikiLeaks last year
showed that the US military covered up a reported surface-to-air missile
strike that downed a Chinook helicopter over Helmand, killing seven
soldiers.”
The US decision to supply surface-to-air missiles to
the Afghan mujahedin guerrillas in the 1980s played a critical role in
defeating the military intervention by the Soviet Union. Similar weapons
could be supplied to today’s Afghan insurgents through Pakistan.
The crash Saturday brings the total number of US
troops killed in Afghanistan this year to 274, and the total deaths for
all NATO forces in Afghanistan to 379, including 42 in August. On
Sunday, another four soldiers were added to this mounting toll, with the
NATO command reporting two deaths in the east and two in the south, but
giving no additional details.
Meanwhile, the bloodbath by the occupation military
and their puppet forces against Afghan civilians continues
uninterrupted. On Friday, Afghan police shot and killed four people
during a protest march in the south, sparked by killings by NATO forces
in an overnight raid.
On Saturday, NATO troops attacked a house in Helmand
province and “inadvertently” killed a woman and her seven small
children, all seven years old or younger, according to an Afghan
government statement. The intended target of the raid, a Taliban
organizer, was not in the house at the time.
Vol. 11, No. 12 9 August 2011
The Syrian Uprising: Implications for Israel
Eyal Zisser
-
In Syria, the story is the emergence of social groups from the periphery and their struggle to gain access to power and take over the center. The emergence of the Baath party and the Assad dynasty in the 1960s involved a coalition of peripheral forces led by the Alawites, but many others joined who came from the periphery. Now, because of socioeconomic reasons, the periphery has turned against the regime.
-
Before the uprising, Bashar al-Assad was supported by the Islamic and radical movements in the Middle East. Most Muslim Brothers supported him - in Jordan, Egypt, and Hamas. Now they have turned their back on him, led by Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood on a global scale, who reminds them that, after all, Bashar is an Alawite and supported by the Shiite camp.
-
Turkey, under Prime Minister Erdogan, had become a close ally of Syria. But Erdogan has no reservations regarding the possibility that Muslim radicals might come to power in Syria if Bashar falls. On the contrary, the Sunni radicals and the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood are Erdogan's close allies, as is Hamas. So Turkey has nothing to lose if Bashar falls.
-
If Bashar falls, the situation is likely to be similar to that of earlier decades, with a very weak central regime. This could lead to border incidents with Israel, but not a war, with terrorist acts that a weak regime cannot prevent.
-
The Syrian opposition will eventually take over and, as in the case of Egypt, they know that their interests lie with friendship with Western countries like the United States, and not with Iran. So in the long run, a new Syrian regime might be better for Israel than this current regime.
- 1.
- Russia Fears New Violent Moves By Kosovo Secessionists From: Rick Rozoff
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- Russia Calls On NATO, EU Foxes To Protect Kosovo Henhouse From: Rick Rozoff
- 3.
- Russia Warns NATO On Missile Shield From: Rick Rozoff
- 4.
- They Died in Vain; Deal With It From: Rick Rozoff
- 5.
- Finland's Defense Minister: Savings Lead To NATO Membership From: Rick Rozoff
- 6.
- Gruesome Trophies: Britain Brings "Civilization" To Afghanistan Agai From: Rick Rozoff
- 7.
- Pakistan: Another NATO Oil Tanker Set Ablaze From: Rick Rozoff
- 8.
- NATO Membership: Georgia Will Be "Protected And Cannot Be Conquered" From: Rick Rozoff
- 9.
- NATO Planning Military Attack On Iran From: Rick Rozoff
- 10.
- U.S. Troops In Europe "Closer To Current Battlefields, Future Fights From: Rick Rozoff
- 11.
- Libya: 18,399 NATO Air Missions, 6,991 Strike Sorties From: Rick Rozoff
- 12.
- Afghan Officials: NATO Troops Kill At Least Two Policemen From: Rick Rozoff
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- Georgian Foreign Minister Meets With NATO Liaison Officer From: Rick Rozoff
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- U.S. Missile Strikes Kill At Least 21 In Pakistan From: Rick Rozoff
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1. Arab States in Key UN Positions in September
by Gavriel Queenann
Arab states will be chairing the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly in September as the Palestinian Authority makes its statehood bid.
Lebanon is slated to preside over the Security Council in September while Qatar will head the General Assembly.
Israel's Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor refused to address any possible moves Lebanon's Hizbullah-backed government may make during its tenure in the presidency.
"This is the daily reality we face in the UN. It requires double the effort in an arena which has an automatic majority against us," Prosor told reporters.
Qatar begins its one-year General Assembly presidency term in September, where Arab states enjoy an automatic majority.
The General Assembly, however, cannot admit a new state to the United Nations without the consent of the security council.
There, Lebanon's Ambassador to the UN Nawaf Salam will have the customary privilige of raising one one special topic for discussion by the Security Council.
Beirut may raise the issue of PA statehood for a vote in the Security Council even without serving as president if the Arab League and the PA follow through on their plans to raise the issue.
It may also raise other subjects, however, such as the oil fields Israel is developing of its northern coast, on which the Hizbullah-backed government in Lebanon has made a counter-claim.
Iran came out in support of Lebanon's claims on Monday, prompting the IAF to deploy drones over the disputed gas fields in the event of attack.
It is unclear whether the Security Council president has the authority to invite a speaker who is not its citizen, such as Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
But observers say it may not matter what Lebanon decides to do, or who it invites to speak, as the US has telegraphed the use of its veto in the Security Council should the PA statehood bid be brought to a vote.
The Security Council has five permanent member states with veto power (The United States, Russia, China, France and Britain).
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
Arab states will be chairing the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly in September as the Palestinian Authority makes its statehood bid.
Lebanon is slated to preside over the Security Council in September while Qatar will head the General Assembly.
Israel's Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor refused to address any possible moves Lebanon's Hizbullah-backed government may make during its tenure in the presidency.
"This is the daily reality we face in the UN. It requires double the effort in an arena which has an automatic majority against us," Prosor told reporters.
Qatar begins its one-year General Assembly presidency term in September, where Arab states enjoy an automatic majority.
The General Assembly, however, cannot admit a new state to the United Nations without the consent of the security council.
There, Lebanon's Ambassador to the UN Nawaf Salam will have the customary privilige of raising one one special topic for discussion by the Security Council.
Beirut may raise the issue of PA statehood for a vote in the Security Council even without serving as president if the Arab League and the PA follow through on their plans to raise the issue.
It may also raise other subjects, however, such as the oil fields Israel is developing of its northern coast, on which the Hizbullah-backed government in Lebanon has made a counter-claim.
Iran came out in support of Lebanon's claims on Monday, prompting the IAF to deploy drones over the disputed gas fields in the event of attack.
It is unclear whether the Security Council president has the authority to invite a speaker who is not its citizen, such as Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
But observers say it may not matter what Lebanon decides to do, or who it invites to speak, as the US has telegraphed the use of its veto in the Security Council should the PA statehood bid be brought to a vote.
The Security Council has five permanent member states with veto power (The United States, Russia, China, France and Britain).
Comment on this story
2. Mixed PA Signals on Bid for UN Recognition
by Chana Ya'ar
The Palestinian Authority is sending out mixed signals on what it intends to do next month, depending upon the language one speaks and reads.
Senior Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee member Saeb Erekat has told the Jordan News Agency the PA does not intend to defer its unilateral bid for recognition as a new country by the United Nations in September. The statement was made in Arabic.
Erekat, who also serves as the PA's chief negotiator, issued the denial this week. He told the JNA after meetings with U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem Daniel Rubinstein and Spanish Consul General Alfonso Portable the entity still intends to ask the UN for membership in the General Assembly.
As has PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, Erekat also insisted there is no contradiction between a bid for UN recognition as a new country, and a return to negotiations with Israel over the points that would determine the parameters for such recognition.
Erekat, who last week spurned an offer by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to resume talks based on the PA demands for borders based on the pre-1967 lines -- the 1949 Armistice lines -- said instead the PA would simply go straight to the United Nations to determine its status, bypassing negotiations with Israel for the time being. He called on the United States and European Union to pressure Israel to cease all construction in Judea, Samaria and areas of Jerusalem demanded by the PA for the formation of its hoped-for state – and to urge Israel to accept the “two state solution.”
Different Signals
However, even as Erekat was insisting the United Nations bid would go through, PLO Council Member and former PA Information Minister Nabil Amr expressed doubt over the plan.
Amr told the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper in an interview late last month that he was advising Abbas to reconsider the move. The interview was translated into English and posted on numerous Internet websites.
“I personally will advise the leadership to delay the UN bid by another year so that we will be able to make better preparations than what has been done until now,” he said.
Amr warned the PA risks losing many close friends if its proceeds with the plan. “The Americans have not hidden their position and threats to impose sanctions not only against us, but also against those who would vote in favor of the statehood plan,” he pointed out. “On the face of it, this is an immoral issue. But in essence it would cause us some damage.”
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
The Palestinian Authority is sending out mixed signals on what it intends to do next month, depending upon the language one speaks and reads.
Senior Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee member Saeb Erekat has told the Jordan News Agency the PA does not intend to defer its unilateral bid for recognition as a new country by the United Nations in September. The statement was made in Arabic.
Erekat, who also serves as the PA's chief negotiator, issued the denial this week. He told the JNA after meetings with U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem Daniel Rubinstein and Spanish Consul General Alfonso Portable the entity still intends to ask the UN for membership in the General Assembly.
As has PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, Erekat also insisted there is no contradiction between a bid for UN recognition as a new country, and a return to negotiations with Israel over the points that would determine the parameters for such recognition.
Erekat, who last week spurned an offer by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to resume talks based on the PA demands for borders based on the pre-1967 lines -- the 1949 Armistice lines -- said instead the PA would simply go straight to the United Nations to determine its status, bypassing negotiations with Israel for the time being. He called on the United States and European Union to pressure Israel to cease all construction in Judea, Samaria and areas of Jerusalem demanded by the PA for the formation of its hoped-for state – and to urge Israel to accept the “two state solution.”
Different Signals
However, even as Erekat was insisting the United Nations bid would go through, PLO Council Member and former PA Information Minister Nabil Amr expressed doubt over the plan.
Amr told the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper in an interview late last month that he was advising Abbas to reconsider the move. The interview was translated into English and posted on numerous Internet websites.
“I personally will advise the leadership to delay the UN bid by another year so that we will be able to make better preparations than what has been done until now,” he said.
Amr warned the PA risks losing many close friends if its proceeds with the plan. “The Americans have not hidden their position and threats to impose sanctions not only against us, but also against those who would vote in favor of the statehood plan,” he pointed out. “On the face of it, this is an immoral issue. But in essence it would cause us some damage.”
Comment on this story
3. Netanyahu: 'Direct Talks Only Way to Peace with PA'
by Chana Ya'ar
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told a delegation of 26 U.S. lawmakers Wednesday that direct talks are the only way to reach peace with the Palestinian Authority.
The Congress members, led by Representative Steny Hoyer, are visiting Israel together with their spouses, some for the first time.
During their meeting, the prime minister told the group that he is committed to seeking peace with the PA.
However, he added, “The only way to achieve [that] peace between us and the Palestinians is through direct negotiations. We are ready and willing to launch negotiations without any preconditions,” he added.
However, he warned, “If the UN accepts the unilateral Palestinian move, the prospects for reaching peace will be hurt,” he warned.
Earlier in the day, President Shimon Peres gave a similar message to the lawmakers, predicting that the PA bid for United Nations recognition as an independent country will only make matters worse between the entity and the Jewish State.
“The U.N. declaration of a Palestinian state will be devoid of any meaning, and will only prolong the conflict,” Peres warned. The president expressed his hope that instead, the PA would return to the negotiating table with Israel before September. “Both the Palestinians and the Israelis understand that the alternative to peace is a succession of unfortunate mistakes,” he said.
The Congressional delegation is visiting Israel under the auspices of the America-Israel Education Foundation, an affiliate of AIPAC (America Israel Public Affairs Committee).
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told a delegation of 26 U.S. lawmakers Wednesday that direct talks are the only way to reach peace with the Palestinian Authority.
The Congress members, led by Representative Steny Hoyer, are visiting Israel together with their spouses, some for the first time.
During their meeting, the prime minister told the group that he is committed to seeking peace with the PA.
However, he added, “The only way to achieve [that] peace between us and the Palestinians is through direct negotiations. We are ready and willing to launch negotiations without any preconditions,” he added.
However, he warned, “If the UN accepts the unilateral Palestinian move, the prospects for reaching peace will be hurt,” he warned.
Earlier in the day, President Shimon Peres gave a similar message to the lawmakers, predicting that the PA bid for United Nations recognition as an independent country will only make matters worse between the entity and the Jewish State.
“The U.N. declaration of a Palestinian state will be devoid of any meaning, and will only prolong the conflict,” Peres warned. The president expressed his hope that instead, the PA would return to the negotiating table with Israel before September. “Both the Palestinians and the Israelis understand that the alternative to peace is a succession of unfortunate mistakes,” he said.
The Congressional delegation is visiting Israel under the auspices of the America-Israel Education Foundation, an affiliate of AIPAC (America Israel Public Affairs Committee).
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4. Blame Israel: PA Angry at Israel Over Rising Electricity Prices
by Elad Benari
The Palestinian Authority is once again angry with Israel, only not for political reasons this time, but rather for economic ones.
The PA’s electric company announced Tuesday that electricity rates would go up by 7%, following the 12% increase in electricity rates in Israel.
The Chairman of the Palestine Electric Company, Omar Katana, placed the blame on Israel, from which the PA acquires 95% of the electricity in Judea and Samaria and 75% of the electricity in Gaza.
“Israel’s increase in electricity prices is due to the cessation of the supply of gas from Egypt and its use of expensive diesel fuel,” Katana explained. “The increase in the electric bills in the PA is due to the increase in the prices in Israel.”
The statement comes several days after the PA’s Accountant General said that the PA is still suffering from economic troubles because it urgently needs $300 million promised by Saudi Arabia and has so far only received a total of $30 million.
Hassan Abu-Libdeh, the Palestinian Authority’s Economics Minister, said last week that the PA government will meet soon to discuss steps to solve its economic crisis.
The PA had paid its workers just half their normal salaries for the month of June, causing the Government Workers Union in the PA to accuse PA of fabricating an economic crisis and to threaten a general strike.
The PA’s Prime Minister Salam Fayyad dismissed the accusations, warning that “the payment of full salaries will significantly reduce the ability of the PA to meet other needs during the next month.”
Much like the Accountant General, Fayyad blamed the PA's financial woes on donor nations, claiming several Arab nations have promised aid but failed to deliver, leaving the PA facing a deficit of more than $500 million for 2011.
For a complete analysis of the"future state's" economic situation, click here.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
The Palestinian Authority is once again angry with Israel, only not for political reasons this time, but rather for economic ones.
The PA’s electric company announced Tuesday that electricity rates would go up by 7%, following the 12% increase in electricity rates in Israel.
The Chairman of the Palestine Electric Company, Omar Katana, placed the blame on Israel, from which the PA acquires 95% of the electricity in Judea and Samaria and 75% of the electricity in Gaza.
“Israel’s increase in electricity prices is due to the cessation of the supply of gas from Egypt and its use of expensive diesel fuel,” Katana explained. “The increase in the electric bills in the PA is due to the increase in the prices in Israel.”
The statement comes several days after the PA’s Accountant General said that the PA is still suffering from economic troubles because it urgently needs $300 million promised by Saudi Arabia and has so far only received a total of $30 million.
Hassan Abu-Libdeh, the Palestinian Authority’s Economics Minister, said last week that the PA government will meet soon to discuss steps to solve its economic crisis.
The PA had paid its workers just half their normal salaries for the month of June, causing the Government Workers Union in the PA to accuse PA of fabricating an economic crisis and to threaten a general strike.
The PA’s Prime Minister Salam Fayyad dismissed the accusations, warning that “the payment of full salaries will significantly reduce the ability of the PA to meet other needs during the next month.”
Much like the Accountant General, Fayyad blamed the PA's financial woes on donor nations, claiming several Arab nations have promised aid but failed to deliver, leaving the PA facing a deficit of more than $500 million for 2011.
For a complete analysis of the"future state's" economic situation, click here.
Comment on this story
5. Hamas: IDF Bulldozer Knocked Out Communications
by Gavriel Queenann
Hamas telecommunications officials claimed Wednesday an IDF bulldozer damaged a communications cable and cut all phone and Internet networks in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
The blackout was reportedly caused late Tuesday by a military bulldozer operating in Nahal Oz, close to the Hamas terror enclave.
"Repairs have allowed the gradual resumption of communications," the officials said.
The IDF spokesperson's office denied the army was "responsible for the incident," but added that it was willing to "help restore communications."
The incident underscores the strong leverage Israel could bring to bear to stop terror from the region if its leaders summoned up sufficient political will.
Both Hamas-run Gaza and Palestinian Authority enclaves in Judea and Samaria are dependent on Israel for all critical infrastructure, including water, electricity, fuel, and telecommunications.
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
Hamas telecommunications officials claimed Wednesday an IDF bulldozer damaged a communications cable and cut all phone and Internet networks in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
The blackout was reportedly caused late Tuesday by a military bulldozer operating in Nahal Oz, close to the Hamas terror enclave.
"Repairs have allowed the gradual resumption of communications," the officials said.
The IDF spokesperson's office denied the army was "responsible for the incident," but added that it was willing to "help restore communications."
The incident underscores the strong leverage Israel could bring to bear to stop terror from the region if its leaders summoned up sufficient political will.
Both Hamas-run Gaza and Palestinian Authority enclaves in Judea and Samaria are dependent on Israel for all critical infrastructure, including water, electricity, fuel, and telecommunications.
Comment on this story
6. PA Media Says Peres 'Poisons' Sports Stars
by Elad Benari
A recent article in a Palestinian Authority-based newspaper accused Israel of deliberately inviting sports stars it knows PA Arabs love in order to upset them.
The article appeared in the sports section of the official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida on July 1. It was translated and published on the website of the Palestinian Media Watch research institute.
The article accuses none other than Israeli President Shimon Peres, usually viewed as a supporter of the PA, as the “tip of triangle of destruction,” since the Peres Center for Peace is the institution which initiates the visits of these stars.
As part of the Peres Center for Peace’s activities to promote coexistence between Israelis and Arabs, Peace Matches are held where mixed Israeli-Palestinian football teams play against top international teams like Real Madrid and others.
“’Israel’ aims its poisoned arrows with great accuracy at the heart of every sports star who enters the hearts of Palestinians and Muslim Arabs,” says the article, written by Wasfi Shahwan.
“It is clear that Israel is able to invent ploys and set traps in order to attract the Arabs’ favorite international football stars... to cause frustration to the Palestinians... Since our enemy is shrewd, it is well aware of how the Spanish [football] League is admired by Palestinians and Arabs; therefore, it continues to target the stars of the outstanding Spanish League...” continues Shahwan.
The writer goes on to attack the Peres Center for Peace for “spewing its poison in the faces of the Palestinians.” He adds that the visits of the international sports stars to Israel are anti-Palestinian activities.
For example, he writes, “[Argentinian football player] Maradona, who is incapable of standing on principle or sustaining a position... was one of the first athletes to don a skullcap and pray at the Al-Buraq Wall (i.e., the Western Wall)...”
“The 'War of Stars' is made up of dirty campaigns which the Zionist machine carries out against Palestinian sports, aided by all the celebrities of the world’s sports sector, after it identifies them as being ignorant of anything related to the Palestinian cause, or having a bias in favor of the colonialist state,” the article says.
“Jose Mourinho, the current manager of Real Madrid, visited the Zionist entity in 2005, as manager [and coach] of Chelsea, champion of the English League. He said then that he had come to ‘Israel’ in order to prove that football brings hope, and to aid the efforts of the Shimon Peres Center to create a better world through the establishment of mixed Palestinian and ‘Israeli’ teams...”
PMW noted that the article also includes general hate speech such as referring to Israel as “the Zionist entity,” writing that “the Zionist octopus’ arms reach out in every direction,” and placing the words Israel and Tel Aviv throughout the article in quotation marks as an indicator that the PA does not recognize Israel.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
A recent article in a Palestinian Authority-based newspaper accused Israel of deliberately inviting sports stars it knows PA Arabs love in order to upset them.
The article appeared in the sports section of the official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida on July 1. It was translated and published on the website of the Palestinian Media Watch research institute.
The article accuses none other than Israeli President Shimon Peres, usually viewed as a supporter of the PA, as the “tip of triangle of destruction,” since the Peres Center for Peace is the institution which initiates the visits of these stars.
As part of the Peres Center for Peace’s activities to promote coexistence between Israelis and Arabs, Peace Matches are held where mixed Israeli-Palestinian football teams play against top international teams like Real Madrid and others.
“’Israel’ aims its poisoned arrows with great accuracy at the heart of every sports star who enters the hearts of Palestinians and Muslim Arabs,” says the article, written by Wasfi Shahwan.
“It is clear that Israel is able to invent ploys and set traps in order to attract the Arabs’ favorite international football stars... to cause frustration to the Palestinians... Since our enemy is shrewd, it is well aware of how the Spanish [football] League is admired by Palestinians and Arabs; therefore, it continues to target the stars of the outstanding Spanish League...” continues Shahwan.
The writer goes on to attack the Peres Center for Peace for “spewing its poison in the faces of the Palestinians.” He adds that the visits of the international sports stars to Israel are anti-Palestinian activities.
For example, he writes, “[Argentinian football player] Maradona, who is incapable of standing on principle or sustaining a position... was one of the first athletes to don a skullcap and pray at the Al-Buraq Wall (i.e., the Western Wall)...”
“The 'War of Stars' is made up of dirty campaigns which the Zionist machine carries out against Palestinian sports, aided by all the celebrities of the world’s sports sector, after it identifies them as being ignorant of anything related to the Palestinian cause, or having a bias in favor of the colonialist state,” the article says.
“Jose Mourinho, the current manager of Real Madrid, visited the Zionist entity in 2005, as manager [and coach] of Chelsea, champion of the English League. He said then that he had come to ‘Israel’ in order to prove that football brings hope, and to aid the efforts of the Shimon Peres Center to create a better world through the establishment of mixed Palestinian and ‘Israeli’ teams...”
PMW noted that the article also includes general hate speech such as referring to Israel as “the Zionist entity,” writing that “the Zionist octopus’ arms reach out in every direction,” and placing the words Israel and Tel Aviv throughout the article in quotation marks as an indicator that the PA does not recognize Israel.
Comment on this story
7. NATO: No Evidence of 'Massacre'
by Gil Ronen
NATO said Tuesday night that its air strikes near the city of Zliten in western Libya were "legitimate" and that it has no evidence to back up Tripoli's claims that the bombs killed 85 villagers.
According to Radio Free Europe, Colonel Roland Lavoie, the alliance's spokesman for the Libya campaign, said that raids by NATO planes near Zliten were against "a legitimate target." The bombs, he said, were aimed at two former farms used for military purposes by troops loyal to Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi.
Col. Lavoie spoke at a video conference held at NATO's Naples headquarters. He said NATO "takes extreme precaution not to harm innocent civilians living or working nearby."
In Libya, government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim told reporters on a guided tour that the village of Majer, south of Zliten, was attacked late on August 8 "to allow rebel fighters to enter" the government-held city from the south.
He said 85 villagers, including 33 children and 32 women, were killed in what he called a "massacre" of civilians.
Libyan state television showed the charred bodies of several children, saying they had been killed in Majer. The television pictures also showed women and children being treated for injuries.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
NATO said Tuesday night that its air strikes near the city of Zliten in western Libya were "legitimate" and that it has no evidence to back up Tripoli's claims that the bombs killed 85 villagers.
According to Radio Free Europe, Colonel Roland Lavoie, the alliance's spokesman for the Libya campaign, said that raids by NATO planes near Zliten were against "a legitimate target." The bombs, he said, were aimed at two former farms used for military purposes by troops loyal to Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi.
Col. Lavoie spoke at a video conference held at NATO's Naples headquarters. He said NATO "takes extreme precaution not to harm innocent civilians living or working nearby."
In Libya, government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim told reporters on a guided tour that the village of Majer, south of Zliten, was attacked late on August 8 "to allow rebel fighters to enter" the government-held city from the south.
He said 85 villagers, including 33 children and 32 women, were killed in what he called a "massacre" of civilians.
Libyan state television showed the charred bodies of several children, saying they had been killed in Majer. The television pictures also showed women and children being treated for injuries.
Comment on this story
8. Britain: London Quiet as Riots Spread to Other Cities
by Elad Benari
The unrest in Britain continued on Tuesday, but while London remained relatively quiet, the riots and violence spread to other cities.
The BBC reported that disturbances broke out in Manchester, Salford, Wolverhampton, Nottingham, Leicester and Birmingham, with shops being looted and set on fire.
The report said 47 people have been arrested in Manchester and Salford and 87 have been arrested over disorder which has broken out across the West Midlands. Some 23 have been charged in the West Midlands.
Meanwhile, riot police have surrounded a high-end shopping center following the disturbances seen in the area on Monday night.
The violence, which broke out Saturday night, has resulted in one death so far: a 26-year-old man found shot in a car in Croydon later died in hospital.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the “sickening scenes of people looting, vandalizing, thieving, robbing.”
Cameron, who cut short a holiday in Italy to deal with the unrest, told the rioters, “You will feel the full force of the law. And if you are old enough to commit these crimes, you are old enough to face the punishment.”
On Tuesday it was reported that the London rioting was threatening members of the large Jewish community in Stamford Hill, who had been advised not to walk alone and to be careful when going to synagogue on Tisha B’Av.
One London resident told Arutz Sheva Tuesday afternoon that Jewish businessmen and professionals are not able to travel to nearby offices, where many of their premises have been looted.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
The unrest in Britain continued on Tuesday, but while London remained relatively quiet, the riots and violence spread to other cities.
The BBC reported that disturbances broke out in Manchester, Salford, Wolverhampton, Nottingham, Leicester and Birmingham, with shops being looted and set on fire.
The report said 47 people have been arrested in Manchester and Salford and 87 have been arrested over disorder which has broken out across the West Midlands. Some 23 have been charged in the West Midlands.
Meanwhile, riot police have surrounded a high-end shopping center following the disturbances seen in the area on Monday night.
The violence, which broke out Saturday night, has resulted in one death so far: a 26-year-old man found shot in a car in Croydon later died in hospital.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the “sickening scenes of people looting, vandalizing, thieving, robbing.”
Cameron, who cut short a holiday in Italy to deal with the unrest, told the rioters, “You will feel the full force of the law. And if you are old enough to commit these crimes, you are old enough to face the punishment.”
On Tuesday it was reported that the London rioting was threatening members of the large Jewish community in Stamford Hill, who had been advised not to walk alone and to be careful when going to synagogue on Tisha B’Av.
One London resident told Arutz Sheva Tuesday afternoon that Jewish businessmen and professionals are not able to travel to nearby offices, where many of their premises have been looted.
Comment on this story
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Will the trial of Hosni Mubarak in Cairo give a new impetus to the protests? By SPIEGEL Staff. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,779071,00.html#ref=nlint -------------------- Photo Gallery: Struggle for Democracy Continues in Arab World http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-71363.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MODERN WALLS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Barriers Continue to Divide Around the World The Berlin Wall, built 50 years ago this month, may be gone, but modern barriers can still be found around the world. Some are designed to keep people in, others are designed to keep people out while some are simply in place to keep people apart. SPIEGEL ONLINE correspondents profile modern-day walls on five continents. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,779162,00.html#ref=nlint -------------------- Belfast's 'Peace Wall': Barriers Remain Amid Unresolved Conflict http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,779205,00.html#ref=nlint The US-Mexico Border: A Desert Monument to Failure http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,779217,00.html#ref=nlint Israel's Anti-Terror Fence: The Wall around the West Bank http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,779222,00.html#ref=nlint The Korean DMZ: Souvenirs from the World's Most Dangerous Border http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,779225,00.html#ref=nlint Ceuta and Melilla: Europe's High-Tech African Fortress http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,779226,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ GERMAN DEVELOPMENT MINISTER ON AFRICA FAMINE ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'Anyone Can Toss Around Big Numbers' In a SPIEGEL interview, German Development Minister Dirk Niebel discusses the current famine in Africa, criticism of his country's contribution to fighting the catastrophe and why he believes aid policies must be mutually beneficial to donors and recipients in the age of globalization. http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,779123,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TEE'D OFF ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Right-Wing Extremists Tricked by Trojan Shirts Fans at a recent right-wing extremist rock festival in Germany thought they were getting free T-shirts that reflected their nationalistic worldview. But after the garment's first wash they discovered otherwise. The original image rinsed away to reveal a hidden message from an activist group. http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,779446,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ AFTER 13 YEARS IN GERMANY ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Town Hides Family in Fight Against Deportation German authorities recently ruled that a family of Armenian asylum seekers should be deported after 13 years of living in the country. But they never showed up to the airport. 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September 2001: 9/11 und ein verlorenes Land Die Terroranschläge in den USA und die noch immer fragwürdigen Geschichten von Osama und den 19 Mördern --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204149.nd-serie-zum-11-september-2001-9-11-und-ein-verlorenes-land.html Neonazis gucken dumm aus der Wäsche Aussteiger-Initiative Exit spendet T-Shirts für Rechtsrock-Festival mit antifaschistischer Botschaft Von Robert Meyer --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204150.neonazis-gucken-dumm-aus-der-waesche.html SPD überrascht Jamaika an der Saar Erst im zweiten Anlauf wurde Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer zur Ministerpräsidentin gewählt Von Oliver Hilt, Saarbrücken --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204152.spd-ueberrascht-jamaika-an-der-saar.html Seehofer will Pflegekassen entlasten Bund soll Leistungen für Behinderte übernehmen --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204153.seehofer-will-pflegekassen-entlasten.html FDP will bei älteren Arbeitslosen sparen Ministerium: Derzeit keine Einschnitte geplant --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204157.fdp-will-bei-aelteren-arbeitslosen-sparen.html Razzia in Jena: Sachsens Polizei ist nichts heilig Durchsuchung bei Stadtjugendpfarrer wegen Demo am 19. Februar / Nachspiel in beiden Landtagen angekündigt Von Hendrik Lasch, Dresden --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204158.razzia-in-jena-sachsens-polizei-ist-nichts-heilig.html Verstopfte Abkürzung Am Nord-Ostsee-Kanal stauen sich immer wieder die Schiffe – die alten Schleusen sind marode Von Wolfgang Schmidt, dpa --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204185.verstopfte-abkuerzung.html Armenische Familie darf vorerst bleiben Landkreis Bad Doberan verlängert Duldung --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204186.armenische-familie-darf-vorerst-bleiben.html Die totale Shopping Mall Mainzer wehren sich gegen Neubaupläne Von Robert Luchs, Mainz --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204187.die-totale-shopping-mall.html Zugbegleiter ließ Kind allein auf Bahnhof stehen Schaffner reagierte nicht richtig und wurde von der Deutschen Bahn seines Postens enthoben --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204188.zugbegleiter-liess-kind-allein-auf-bahnhof-stehen.html Heizen bis der Dieb flieht Ein Psychologe hat in Chemnitz Ideen für die Inszenierung technischer Schäden beim Autoklau vorgelegt Von Ralf Hübner, dpa --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204192.heizen-bis-der-dieb-flieht.html Bummelzug nach Nachterstedt Grundsanierung der Bahnstrecke in Sachsen-Anhalt wird wegen Instabilität des Bodens weiter verschoben --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204193.bummelzug-nach-nachterstedt.html Blockade in der Stiftung soll enden Sachsens Grüne wollen Gedenkstätten-Gesetz Von Hendrik Lasch, Dresden --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204194.blockade-in-der-stiftung-soll-enden.html +++ Ausland: Cameron kündigt »Gegenschlag« an Schwere Unruhen greifen auf weitere britische Städte über / Drei Tote in Birmingham --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204136.cameron-kuendigt-gegenschlag-an.html Chile: Kampf um bessere Bildung Erneut Hunderttausende auf Demonstrationen --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204140.chile-kampf-um-bessere-bildung.html Markige Worte aus der Downing Street Nr. 10 Premier Cameron brach seinen Urlaub ab - um in London hilflose Parolen zu verbreiten Von Ian King, London --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204134.markige-worte-aus-der-downing-street-nr-10.html Dem Prekariat feindlich gesinnt Alexander Clarkson über Hysterie und Sparpolitik der britischen Regierung --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204135.dem-prekariat-feindlich-gesinnt.html Soziale Realität statt Sozialromantik Die Unruhen sind keine bewussten Prozesse, doch sie haben ihre Wurzeln in der Politik Von Utz Anhalt --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204141.soziale-realitaet-statt-sozialromantik.html Gleiche Ursachen mit gleichen Folgen Frankreich sieht sich an Unruhen 2005 erinnert Von Ralf Klingsieck, Paris --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204142.gleiche-ursachen-mit-gleichen-folgen.html Auch der englische Nordwesten brennt Flammen von London griffen auf Manchester und Liverpool über Von Christian Bunke, Manchester --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204143.auch-der-englische-nordwesten-brennt.html NATO im Sicherheitsrat kritisiert UNO-Gremium diskutierte über Luftangriffe auf libysches Staatsfernsehen --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204154.nato-im-sicherheitsrat-kritisiert.html Polizeipannen beim Attentat in Norwegen Zu langer Einsatzweg, keine Hubschrauber --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204155.polizeipannen-beim-attentat-in-norwegen.html ISAF rächte sich für Abschuss Afghanistan: Taliban-Verantwortliche bei Luftangriff getötet --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204156.isaf-raechte-sich-fuer-abschuss.html Der Hilferuf der Waldläufer Drogenhändler bedrohen Ureinwohner im brasilianischen Amazonasgebiet Von Gerhard Dilger, Porto Alegre --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204159.der-hilferuf-der-waldlaeufer.html Debatte um Auflösung der ETA Baskische Untergrundorganisation wahrt seit zwei Jahren eine einseitige Waffenruhe Von Ralf Streck, San Sebastián --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204160.debatte-um-aufloesung-der-eta.html Schatten über ukrainischem Jubiläum Nicht nur Freunde Timoschenkos kritisieren Verfahren gegen ehemalige Regierungschefin Von Manfred Schünemann --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204161.schatten-ueber-ukrainischem-jubilaeum.html Japans Tsunami ließ Eisberge entstehen Lediglich 30 Zentimeter hohe Flutwellen brachten das Eisschelf zum Brechen --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204212.japans-tsunami-liess-eisberge-entstehen.html Walbaby hatte keine Chance --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204213.walbaby-hatte-keine-chance.html 54 Tote bei Unglück vor den Komoren --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204215.54-tote-bei-unglueck-vor-den-komoren.html +++ Wirtschaft/Soziales: Gewinneinbruch bei der Commerzbank Abschreibungen auf griechische Anleihen --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204162.gewinneinbruch-bei-der-commerzbank.html LAVA will Politik und Kassen aufmischen Kassenärzte einiger Regionen fordern mehr Geld Von Silvia Ottow --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204163.lava-will-politik-und-kassen-aufmischen.html Großbanken wachsen bedrohlich --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204164.grossbanken-wachsen-bedrohlich.html Natur als Monument --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204165.natur-als-monument.html Börsianer noch nicht entspannt Auf und Ab nach US-Zinsankündigung --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204166.boersianer-noch-nicht-entspannt.html Ablasshandel für zwei Milliarden? Deutsch-schweizerisches Steuerabkommen legalisiert Schwarzgeld und wahrt die Anonymität Von Hermannus Pfeiffer --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204167.ablasshandel-fuer-zwei-milliarden.html +++ Feuilleton: Notizen aus Venedig Von Gunnar Decker --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204195.notizen-aus-venedig.html Deutsches Wikileaks Neues Internetportal --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204196.deutsches-wikileaks.html Reformen statt Revolution Ai Weiwei und China --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204197.reformen-statt-revolution.html »Wie Glut im Kraterherde« Die Mauer, Großbritannien, was wir wissen und wobei wir (noch) zuschauen Von Irmtraud Gutschke --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204198.wie-glut-im-kraterherde.html Unter Raubtieren Großbritannien (II) Von Jürgen Amendt --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204199.unter-raubtieren.html +++ Berlin/Brandenburg: Körting geht in Fechtgrundstellung Englische Krawalle lösen Debatte auch in Deutschland aus / Berliner Innensenator sorgt für schrillen Ton --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204151.koerting-geht-in-fechtgrundstellung.html »Weder privater Konzern, noch kommunaler Filz« Ein Gastkommentar des Attac-Mitglieds Alexis Passadakis zur Debatte um die Rekommunalisierung der Energienetze in Berlin Von Alexis Passadakis --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204171.weder-privater-konzern-noch-kommunaler-filz.html BUND: Straßen mit A 100-Geld sanieren --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204172.bund-strassen-mit-a-100-geld-sanieren.html TV-Debatte: LINKE schickt RBB Post --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204173.tv-debatte-linke-schickt-rbb-post.html Vegan shoppen --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204174.vegan-shoppen.html Bluhm will Informanten besser schützen Von Martin Kröger --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204175.bluhm-will-informanten-besser-schuetzen.html Genügend Lehrer, zu wenig Platz Geringerer Personalmangel im neuen Schuljahr / Marzahn-Hellersdorf kämpft mit Raumproblemen Von Sonja Vogel --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204176.genuegend-lehrer-zu-wenig-platz.html Überfällig Martin Kröger zum besseren Informantenschutz --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204177.ueberfaellig.html Kopflandschaften Der Maler-Zeichner Hans Vent und die Keramikerin Christina Renker im produktiven Zwiegespräch Von Klaus Hammer --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204178.kopflandschaften.html Wenn die Harley knattert Die Heavy-Metal-Urgesteine von Judas Priest rockten am Dienstag Berlin Von Christian Klemm --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204179.wenn-die-harley-knattert.html »Garten der Diaspora« Jüdisches Museum erhält neues Gebäude --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204180.garten-der-diaspora.html Ehrung für Luise Rainer --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204181.ehrung-fuer-luise-rainer.html Bewährung für Autobrandstifter --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204182.bewaehrung-fuer-autobrandstifter.html Befragung der Senatorin zum Doppelmord --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204183.befragung-der-senatorin-zum-doppelmord.html Am »Entlassungsort« liegen gelassen Erneut zwei Polizisten wegen Körperverletzung im Amt angeklagt --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204184.am-entlassungsort-liegen-gelassen.html Bomben mit Plasmatechnik entschärfen Forscher entwickelten neue Methode zur Kampfmittelbeseitigung / Sperrkreise könnten kleiner sein Von Peter Jähnel, dpa --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204189.bomben-mit-plasmatechnik-entschaerfen.html Ob die Steuern wirklich sprudeln? Optimistische Prognose des Finanzministeriums löst auch in der Linksfraktion Erstaunen aus Von Wilfried Neiße --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204190.ob-die-steuern-wirklich-sprudeln.html Gelesen Ein Schloss und seine Besucher Von Andreas Fritsche --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204191.gelesen.html +++ Sport: Ein Gefühl von Weltklasse Golfer Martin Kaymer will ab heute seinen ersten großen Titel verteidigen Von Rainer Fülscher, dpa --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204207.ein-gefuehl-von-weltklasse.html Baldriantropfen für den Calcio Die Urteile in Italiens Fußball-Wettskandal fallen hart aus, behandeln aber nur die halbe Realität Von Tom Mustroph --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204208.baldriantropfen-fuer-den-calcio.html Mit Holtby zum Erfolg U 21-Fußballer starten mit 4:1 gegen Zypern in die EM-Qualifikation Von Morten Ritter, dpa --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204209.mit-holtby-zum-erfolg.html Oase zwischen Flammen und Sirenen Juliane Schenk bringen bei der Badminton-WM in London die Krawalle nicht aus der Ruhe Von Cai-Simon Preuten, SID --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204210.oase-zwischen-flammen-und-sirenen.html Zingler erklärt sich den Fans Präsident des 1. FC Union streitet Stasivorwürfe ab --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204211.zingler-erklaert-sich-den-fans.html +++ Meinung/Kolumne: Unten links --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204137.unten-links.html Ausgesessen Standpunkt von Haidy Damm --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204138.ausgesessen.html Buchstabenurteil Kommentar von Silvia Ottow Von Silvia Ottow --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204144.buchstabenurteil.html Enteignung à la FDP Kommentar von Fabian Lambeck Von Fabian Lambeck --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204145.enteignung-a-la-fdp.html Provinziell Kommentar von Kurt Stenger Von Kurt Stenger --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204146.provinziell.html +++ Gesund leben: Kommt Migräne vom Wetter? Österreichische Mediziner entkräften ein verbreitetes Vorurteil Von Martin Koch --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204214.kommt-migraene-vom-wetter.html +++ Kino & Film: Die hohe Kunst der Ketchup-Küche Toast von SJ Clarkson Von Caroline M. Buck --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204168.die-hohe-kunst-der-ketchup-kueche.html Die Welt in Kopf und Bauch Die Einsamkeit der Primzahlen von Saverio Costanzo Von Gunnar Decker --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204169.die-welt-in-kopf-und-bauch.html STARporträt Benoît Poelvoorde --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204170.starportraet.html +++ Literatur/Politisches Buch: Mystery gegen Müdigkeit Rosemary Harris: »Der weiße Garten« Von Irmtraud Gutschke --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204200.mystery-gegen-muedigkeit.html Kluges Biest Michaela Karl über Dorothy Parker Von Lilian-Astrid Geese --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204201.kluges-biest.html Von Frau zu Frau Joyce Carol Oates: Neuere und ältere Erzählungen erstmals auf Deutsch Von Reiner Oschmann --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204202.von-frau-zu-frau.html Der historische Hintergrund Die Frontstadt Berlin 1943 bis 1961 Von Wolfgang Wünsche --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204203.der-historische-hintergrund.html Ein Querschuss Fluchthelfer und Grenzsoldaten Von Michael Baade --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204204.ein-querschuss.html Nudeln statt Kartoffeln Die Stasi und die Grenztruppen der DDR im Schlüsseljahr 1961 Von Stefan Bollinger --> http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204205.nudeln-statt-kartoffeln.html Leseprobe --> [für Abonnenten] http://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/204206.leseprobe.html
RFE/RL Afghanistan Report
8/10/2011 7:56:12 PM
A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Afghanistan.
For more stories on Afghanistan, please visit and bookmark our Afghanistan page . |
Afghan Drug Smugglers Reportedly Abduct Tajik Villager
Tajiks living near the border with Afghanistan say Afghan drug smugglers have abducted a man after he cooperated with Tajik border guards. More 
What The Deadly U.S. Helicopter Crash Tells Us About Afghanistan
As the U.S. military and civilian leadership came to grips with the loss and await the results of an investigation into the downing of a U.S. helicopter that killed 38 people, most of them elite American soldiers, there is a short list of potential lessons already emerging. More 
Picking Up The Pieces In Kandahar
Residents of Kandahar, southern Afghanistan's Pashtun capital, are filled with uncertainty following the recent assassinations of key political figures. Many Kandaharis are looking to Kabul to quickly fill the regional leadership vacuum before tribal competition and strongman rivalry invites a Taliban victory. More 
The Curious Case Of The Mullah Omar Meetings
Afghan lawmaker Homa Sultani has repeated the claim that she has met with Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. She claimed that she knows his current whereabouts, has access to him, and that he has signed on to her peace plan. More 
Washington's Silk Road Dream
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's vision of trade caravans moving from the Bosporus to China, from New Delhi to Almaty, is seductive. But so far, Muhammad Tahir argues, there's little evidence that any of the countries involved really understands the benefits that permeable borders and smoothly flowing trade could bring them. More |
RFE/RL Headlines
8/10/2011 7:57:35 PM
A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio LibertyRFE/RL is looking for guest bloggers, preferably writing from and about our broadcast region. If you're interested, drop us a line at webteam@rferl.org. |
|
Features
Syria Clouds Turkey's Sunny Parade With Iran
They were once seen as bitter foes, but friendship with Syria and Iran has become a staple of Turkey's foreign policy in recent years. Now, however, that approach -- a vital plank of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's "zero problems with neighbors" philosophy -- is under threat, courtesy of Syria's brutal crackdown on antigovernment demonstrators that has killed an estimated 2,000 people in recent months. More 
Belarusian Opposition Dismayed By Lithuania's Aid In Activist's Arrest
The democratic opposition in Belarus is still reeling from revelations that Lithuania provided information to Minsk that led to the arrest of a leading human rights activist. A contrite Vilnius is scrambling to apologize for its role, while the Belarusian opposition says the incident shows that Europe should take an even harder line against Minsk. More 
Russia Reportedly Blacklists U.S. Officials In Tit-For-Tat Over Magnitsky Sanctions
Moscow has reportedly compiled a blacklist of several dozen U.S. officials who will be barred from entering Russia for allegedly violating the rights of two Russian citizens -- a suspected international arms trafficker and a convicted drug smuggler. More 
Even In Prison, Tymoshenko Keeping Up Appearances
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych may have hoped he'd seen the last of his arch-rival Yulia Tymoshenko when a judge in Kyiv put her in jail for contempt of court. But five days into her sentence, the charismatic heroine of the Orange Revolution is not only unbowed but positively luminous, appearing in court in a sleek white dress, full makeup, and her traditional braid crown immaculately in place. Her defenders complain prison conditions -- including a lack of hot water and cigarette-smoking cell mates -- will damage the ex-premier's health and morale. But to the outside eye, Tymoshenko has never looked better. What's her secret? More 
Amnesty Declares Russia's Udaltsov A Prisoner Of Conscience
Amnesty International has declared Russian opposition activist Sergei Udaltsov a prisoner of conscience and called for his immediate release from prison. More 
Security Staff Sought After Kyrgyz Heist
The Kyrgyz Interior Ministry says an armed robbery on a armored car in Bishkek was carried out by two security guards. More 
Kyrgyz Security Forces Blamed For Death
Kyrgyz human rights activists have blamed security forces for the death of a suspect who officials say jumped from a high-rise building last month to evade arrest. More 
Kyrgyz Protest At Belarusian Embassy For Bakiev Extradition
A small group of activists in Bishkek has protested outside the Belarusian Embassy to demand the extradition of former Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev More
Russian Citizen Dies After Kyrgyz Police Beating
A Russian citizen has died in southern Kyrgyzstan after what Kyrgyz authorities say was a beating by local police. More 
Kazakh Rights Defenders Slam Presidential Decree On Prisons
Kazakh human rights defenders have criticized a presidential decree that returns control of Kazakhstan's Committee to Control the Penitentiary System to the Interior Ministry. More 
Armenian Opposition Presses Government For Early Elections
Representatives of the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) argued for holding early presidential and parliamentary elections during their fourth round of negotiations with the governing coalition. More 
Top 10 Other Things Vladimir Putin Found While Scuba Diving
In the latest of his trademark populist stunts ahead of next year's elections, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin went scuba diving at the site of a Greek ruin on the southern Black Sea coast -- and managed to discover two ancient jars dating to the sixth century. More 
The Tymoshenko Reality Show
For Ukrainians, the brief 24-hour respite from the reality show that is the trial of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is over. The case resumed today in a Kyiv courtroom. From the day the confrontation between the administration of current President Viktor Yanukovych and Tymoshenko began, the two sides have seemed like speeding trains, bound to collide at some point. More 
Is Right Cause's Political Star (Already) Waning?
Is a critical mass of Russia's ruling elite having second thoughts about managed pluralism? There are some signs that this might be the case. More 
Another Year Passes Without A New Russia-Georgia War, But Nothing Can Be Ruled Out
The most important event marking the third anniversary of the Russian-Georgian war was the TV interview Russian President Dmitry Medvedev gave on August 4. His remarks were unequivocally taken in Tbilisi to mean that the cold war between the two countries is not over and there is no sign that it will end soon. And when there is no hope for an end to a cold war, the main question is whether it could develop into a hot one. More |
