Make a big hit with both kids and adults by using watermelon in a bundt cake. The slices resemble a slice of watermelon. Use miniature chocolate chips to simulate watermelon seeds, if you wish. It begins with a cake mix, so it is fast and easy to make.You can use this same recipe as a sheet cake, but reduce the baking time accordingly... Read more
Pork with Apple-Thyme Sauce Recipe
Many of us were raised with applesauce as a condiment for pork dishes. This recipe incorporates applesauce into the pan gravy with the delicious complementary flavor of thyme. It uses inexpensive pork tenderloin steaks which are pounded for tenderness. You may use commercial jarred applesauce, but I recommend taking an extra half-hour to make a homemade thyme applesauce... Read more
Cinnamon Raisin Nut Rolls Recipe
Cinnamon raisin nut rolls are crispy, buttery, and sweet. A few simple ingredients whizzed in the food processor and rolled in buttered phyllo dough makes a fast and easy baked dessert that will bring raves. These gems are reminiscent of baklava, but much easier to make. Feel free to experiment using other nuts in the filling... Read more
Zucchini Recipes and Tips
Zucchini is also known as summer squash and courgettes. Your bushel runneth over with zucchini? No problem! Zucchini, also known as courgette and summer squash, has many cooking applications as a vegetable as well as in sweet concoctions. Check out zucchini history, selection, storage, and cooking tips. Then try such zucchini recipes as Banana Zucchini Bread, Grilled Veal Chops and Zucchini, Zucchini Bites Appetizers, and more... Read more
- 1.
- South Africans Protest Against NATO's War On Libya From: Rick Rozoff
- 2.
- S. Africa Liberation Movements Youth: All NATO Leaders War Criminals From: Rick Rozoff
- 3.
- U.S. Launches Anti-Libya African Offensive From: Rick Rozoff
- 4.
- Blueprint For NATO Attack On Syria Revealed From: Rick Rozoff
- 5.
- Prompt Global Strike: Pentagon To Launch New Hypersonic Aircraft From: Rick Rozoff
- 6.
- New Russian Submarine Supermissile Can Penetrate U.S. Missile Shield From: Rick Rozoff
- 7.
- Contra U.S.-NATO ABM System: Russia Restoring Missile Umbrella From: Rick Rozoff
- 8.
- NATO's Libyan Air War: 18,533 Sorties, 7,037 Strike Missions From: Rick Rozoff
- 9a.
- Six NATO Soldiers Killed In Southern Afghanistan From: Rick Rozoff
- 10.
- U.S. Drone Attacks Kill 168 Pakistani Children From: Rick Rozoff
- 11.
- Study: Drone Strike In Pakistan Every Four Days Of Obama's Tenure From: Rick Rozoff
This is FREE intelligence for distribution. Forward this to your colleagues.
Situational Awareness: How Everyday Citizens Can Help Make a Nation Safe
Last week’s Security Weekly discussed the important role that grassroots
defenders practicing situational awareness play in defending against
terrorist attacks by individuals and small cells, what we refer to as
grassroots militants. Anyone who reads STRATFOR’s security and terrorism
material for any length of time will notice that we frequently mention
the importance of situational awareness. The reason we do so, quite
simply, is that it works. Situational awareness is effective in allowing
people to see potential threats before — and as — they develop. This
allows potential victims to take proactive measures to avoid a perceived
threat, and it enables them or other observers to alert authorities.
While threats can emanate from a number of very different sources, it is
important to recognize that terrorist attacks — and other criminal
acts, for that matter — do not materialize out of thin air. In fact,
quite the opposite is true. Terrorists and other criminals follow a
process when planning their actions, and this process has several
distinct steps. The process has traditionally been referred to as the
“terrorist attack cycle,” but if you look at the issue thoughtfully, it
becomes apparent that the same steps apply to nearly all crimes. Of
course, the steps in a complex crime like a kidnapping or car bombing
are far more involved than the steps in a simple crime such as
purse-snatching or shoplifting, where the steps can be completed quite
rapidly. Nevertheless, the same general steps are usually followed. Read more »
Dispatch: Effects of the U.S. Helicopter Downing in Afghanistan
Analyst Kamran Bokhari examines the potential fallout from the Taliban’s downing of a U.S. Chinook helicopter. Watch the Video »
A "Humanitarian War" on Syria?
Military Escalation.
Towards a Broader
Middle East-Central Asian War?
By Michel Chossudovsky
URL of this article: www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=25955
Global Research, August 9, 2011
"As I went back through the Pentagon in November 2001, one of the senior military staff officers had time for a chat. Yes, we were still on track for going against Iraq, he said. But there was more. This was being discussed as part of a five-year campaign plan, he said, and there were a total of seven countries, beginning with Iraq, then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iran, Somalia, and Sudan." General Wesley Clark
An extended Middle East Central Asian war has been on the Pentagon's drawing board since the mid-1990s.
As part of this extended war scenario, the US-NATO
alliance plans to wage a military campaign against Syria under a UN
sponsored "humanitarian mandate".
Escalation is an integral part of the military
agenda. Destabilization of sovereign states through "regime change" is
closely coordinated with military planning.
There is a military roadmap characterised by a sequence of US-NATO war theaters.
War preparations to attack Syria and Iran have been in "an advanced state of readiness" for several years. The Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 categorizes Syria as a "rogue state", as a country which supports terrorism.
A war on Syria is viewed by the Pentagon as part
of the broader war directed against Iran. President George W. Bush
confirmed in his Memoirs that he had "ordered the Pentagon to plan an
attack on Iran's nuclear facilities and [had] considered a covert attack
on Syria" (George Bush's memoirs reveal how he considered attacks on Iran and Syria, The Guardian, November 8, 2010)
This broader military agenda is intimately related
to strategic oil reserves and pipeline routes. It is supported by the
Anglo-American oil giants. The July 2006 bombing of
Lebanon was part of a carefully planned "military road map". The
extension of "The July War" on Lebanon into Syria had been contemplated
by US and Israeli military planners. It was abandoned upon the defeat of
Israeli ground forces by Hizbollah.
Israel's July 2006 war on Lebanon also sought to establish Israeli control over the North Eastern Mediterranean coastline including offshore oil and gas reserves in Lebanese and Palestinian territorial waters.
The plans to invade both Lebanon and Syria have remained on the Pentagon's drawing board despite Israel's setback in the 2006 July War: "In November 2008, barely a month before Tel Aviv started its massacre in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military held drills for a two-front war against Lebanon and Syria called Shiluv Zro’ot III (Crossing Arms III). The military exercise included a massive simulated invasion of both Syria and Lebanon" (See Mahdi Darius Nazemoraya, Israel's Next War: Today the Gaza Strip, Tomorrow Lebanon?, Global Research, January 17, 2009)
Israel's July 2006 war on Lebanon also sought to establish Israeli control over the North Eastern Mediterranean coastline including offshore oil and gas reserves in Lebanese and Palestinian territorial waters.
The plans to invade both Lebanon and Syria have remained on the Pentagon's drawing board despite Israel's setback in the 2006 July War: "In November 2008, barely a month before Tel Aviv started its massacre in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military held drills for a two-front war against Lebanon and Syria called Shiluv Zro’ot III (Crossing Arms III). The military exercise included a massive simulated invasion of both Syria and Lebanon" (See Mahdi Darius Nazemoraya, Israel's Next War: Today the Gaza Strip, Tomorrow Lebanon?, Global Research, January 17, 2009)
The road to Tehran goes through Damascus. A
US-NATO sponsored war on Iran would involve, as a first step, a
destabilization campaign ("regime change") including covert intelligence
operations in support of rebel forces directed against the Syrian
government.
A "humanitarian war" under the logo of
"Responsibility to Protect" (R2P) directed against Syria would also
contribute to the ongoing destabilization of Lebanon.
Were a military campaign to be waged against
Syria, Israel would be directly or indirectly involved in military and
intelligence operations.
A war on Syria would lead to military escalation.
There are at present four distinct war theaters: Afghanistan-Pakistan, Iraq, Palestine and Libya.
An attack on Syria would lead to the integration of these separate war theaters, eventually leading towards a broader Middle East-Central Asian war, engulfing an entire region from North Africa and the Mediterranean to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
There are at present four distinct war theaters: Afghanistan-Pakistan, Iraq, Palestine and Libya.
An attack on Syria would lead to the integration of these separate war theaters, eventually leading towards a broader Middle East-Central Asian war, engulfing an entire region from North Africa and the Mediterranean to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The ongoing protest movement is intended to serve as a pretext and a justification to intervene militarily against Syria. The existence of an armed insurrection is denied. The Western media in chorus have described recent events in Syria as a "peaceful protest movement" directed against the government of Bashar Al Assad, when the evidence confirms the existence of an armed insurgency integrated by Islamic paramilitary groups.
From the outset of the protest movement in Daraa in
mid-March, there has been an exchange of fire between the police and
armed forces on the one hand and armed gunmen on the other. Acts of
arson directed against government buildings have also been committed. In
late July in Hama, public buildings including the Court House and the
Agricultural Bank were set on fire. Israeli news sources, while
dismissing the existence of an armed conflict, nonetheless, acknowledge
that "protesters [were] armed with heavy machine guns." (DEBKAfile August 1, 2001. Report on Hama, emphasis added)
"All Options on the Table"
In June, US Senator Lindsey Graham (who serves on the
Senate Armed Services Committee) hinted to the possibility of a
"humanitarian" military intervention directed against Syria with a view
to "saving the lives of civilians". Graham suggested that the "option"
applied to Libya under UN Secuirty Council resolution 1973 should be
envisaged in the case of Syria:
“If it made sense to protect the Libyan people against Gadhafi, and it did because they were going to get slaughtered if we hadn’t sent NATO in when he was on the outskirts of Benghazi, the question for the world [is], have we gotten to that point in Syria, ...We may not be there yet, but we are getting very close, so if you really care about protecting the Syrian people from slaughter, now is the time to let Assad know that all options are on the table,” (CBS "Face The Nation", June 12, 2011)
Following the adoption of the UN Security Council
Statement pertaining to Syria (August 3, 2011), the White House called,
in no uncertain terms, for "regime change" in Syria and the ouster of
President Bashar Al Assad:
"We do not want to see him remain in Syria for stability's sake, and rather, we view him as the cause of instability in Syria," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Wednesday."And we think, frankly, that it's safe to say that Syria would be a better place without President Assad," (quoted in Syria: US Call Closer to Calling for Regime Change, IPS, August 4, 2011)
Extended economic sanctions often constitute a leadup
towards outright military intervention. A bill sponsored by Senator
Lieberman was introduced in the US Senate with a view to authorizing
sweeping economic sanctions against Syria. Moreover, in a letter to
President Obama in early August, a group of more than sixty U.S.
senators called for "implementing additional sanctions... while also
making it clear to the Syrian regime that it will pay an increasing cost
for its outrageous repression."
These sanctions would require blocking bank and
financial transactions as well as "ending purchases of Syrian oil, and
cutting off investments in Syria's oil and gas sectors." (See Pressure on Obama to get tougher on Syria coming from all sides - Foreign Policy, August 3, 2011).
Meanwhile, the US State Department has also met with members of the Syrian opposition in exile. Covert support has also been channelled to the armed rebel groups.
Meanwhile, the US State Department has also met with members of the Syrian opposition in exile. Covert support has also been channelled to the armed rebel groups.
Dangerous Crossroads: War on Syria. Beachhead for an Attack on Iran
Following the August 3 Statement by the Chairman of
the UN Security Council directed against Syria, Moscow's envoy to NATO
Dmitry Rogozin warned of the dangers of military escalation:
"NATO is planning a military campaign against Syria to help overthrow the regime of President Bashar al-Assad with a long-reaching goal of preparing a beachhead for an attack on Iran,..."[This statement] means that the planning [of the military campaign] is well underway. It could be a logical conclusion of those military and propaganda operations, which have been carried out by certain Western countries against North Africa," Rogozin said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper... The Russian diplomat pointed out at the fact that the alliance is aiming to interfere only with the regimes "whose views do not coincide with those of the West."Rogozin agreed with the opinion expressed by some experts that Syria and later Yemen could be NATO's last steps on the way to launch an attack on Iran."The noose around Iran is tightening. Military planning against Iran is underway. And we are certainly concerned about an escalation of a large-scale war in this huge region," Rogozin said.Having learned the Libyan lesson, Russia "will continue to oppose a forcible resolution of the situation in Syria," he said, adding that the consequences of a large-scale conflict in North Africa would be devastating for the whole world. "Beachhead for an Attack on Iran": NATO is planning a Military Campaign against Syria, Novosti, August 5, 2011)
Dmitry Rogozin, August 2011
While Libya, Syria and Iran are part of the military roadmap, this strategic deployment if it were to carried out would also threaten China and Russia. Both countries have investment, trade as well as military cooperation agreements with Syria and Iran. Iran has observer status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
While Libya, Syria and Iran are part of the military roadmap, this strategic deployment if it were to carried out would also threaten China and Russia. Both countries have investment, trade as well as military cooperation agreements with Syria and Iran. Iran has observer status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Escalation is part of the military agenda. Since
2005, the US and its allies, including America's NATO partners and
Israel, have been involved in the extensive deployment and stockpiling
of advanced weapons systems. The air defense systems of the US, NATO
member countries and Israel are fully integrated.
The Role of Israel and Turkey
Both Ankara and Tel Aviv are involved in supporting
an armed insurgency. These endeavors are coordinated between the two
governments and their intelligence agencies.
Israel's Mossad, according to reports, has provided
covert support to radical Salafi terrorist groups, which became active
in Southern Syria at the outset of protest movement in Daraa in
mid-March. Reports suggest that financing for the Salafi insurgency is
coming from Saudi Arabia. (See Syrian army closes in on Damascus suburbs, The Irish Times, May 10, 2011)
The Turkish government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyib
Erdogan is supporting Syrian opposition groups in exile while also
backing the armed rebels of the Muslim Brotherhood in Northern Syria.
Both the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood (MB) (whose leadership is in exile
in the UK) and the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir (the Party of Liberation) are
behind the insurrection. Both organizations are supported by Britain's
MI6. The avowed objective of both MB and Hizb-ut Tahir is ultimately to
destabilize Syria's secular State. (See Michel Chossudovsky, SYRIA: Who is Behind The Protest Movement? Fabricating a Pretext for a US-NATO "Humanitarian Intervention", Global Research, May 3, 2011).
In June, Turkish troops crossed the border into northern Syria, officially to come to the rescue of Syrian refugees. The government of Bashar Al Assad accused Turkey of directly supporting the incursion of rebel forces into northern Syria:
In June, Turkish troops crossed the border into northern Syria, officially to come to the rescue of Syrian refugees. The government of Bashar Al Assad accused Turkey of directly supporting the incursion of rebel forces into northern Syria:
"A rebel force of up to 500 fighters attacked a Syrian Army position on June 4 in northern Syria. They said the target, a garrison of Military Intelligence, was captured in a 36-hour assault in which 72 soldiers were killed in Jisr Al Shoughour, near the border with Turkey.
“We found that the criminals [rebel fighters] were using weapons from Turkey, and this is very worrisome,” an official said.
This marked the first time that the Assad regime has accused Turkey of helping the revolt. ... Officials said the rebels drove the Syrian Army from Jisr Al Shoughour and then took over the town. They said government buildings were looted and torched before another Assad force arrived. ...
A Syrian officer who conducted the tour said the rebels in Jisr Al Shoughour consisted of Al Qaida-aligned fighters. He said the rebels employed a range of Turkish weapons and ammunition but did not accuse the Ankara government of supplying the equipment." (Syria’s Assad accuses Turkey of arming rebels, TR Defence, Jun 25 2011)
The Israel-Turkey Military Cooperation AgreementIsrael
and Turkey have a military cooperation agreement which pertains in a
very direct way to Syria as well to the strategic Lebanese-Syrian
Eastern Mediterranean coastline (including the gas reserves off the
coast of Lebanon and pipeline routes).
Already during the Clinton Administration, a triangular military alliance between the US, Israel and Turkey had unfolded. This "triple alliance", which is dominated by the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, integrates and coordinates military command decisions between the three countries pertaining to the broader Middle East. It is based on the close military ties respectively of Israel and Turkey with the US, coupled with a strong bilateral military relationship between Tel Aviv and Ankara. ....The triple alliance is also coupled with a 2005 NATO-Israeli military cooperation agreement which includes "many areas of common interest, such as the fight against terrorism and joint military exercises. These military cooperation ties with NATO are viewed by the Israeli military as a means to "enhance Israel's deterrence capability regarding potential enemies threatening it, mainly Iran and Syria." (See Michel Chossudovsky,"Triple Alliance": The US, Turkey, Israel and the War on Lebanon, August 6, 2006)
Meanwhile, the recent reshuffle within Turkey's top
brass has reinforced the pro-Islamist faction within the armed forces.
In late July, The Commander in Chief of the Army and head of Turkey's
Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Isik Kosaner, resigned together with the
commanders of the Navy and Air Force.
General Kosaner represented a broadly secular stance
within the Armed Forces. General Necdet Ozel has been appointed as his
replacement as commander of the Army the new army chief.
These developments are of crucial importance. They
tend to support US interests. They also point to a potential shift
within the military in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood including the
armed insurrection in Northern Syria.
"New appointments have strengthened Erdogan and the ruling party in Turkey... [T]he military power is able to carry out more ambitious projects in the region. It is predicted that in case of using the Libyan scenario in Syria it is possible that Turkey will apply for military intervention." ( New appointments have strengthened Erdogan and the ruling party in Turkey : Public Radio of Armenia, August 06, 2011, emphasis added)
Muslim Brotherhood Rebels at Jisr al Shughour Photos AFP June 16, 2011
[Note: this photo is in many regards misleading. Most of the rebel gunmen are highly trained with modern weapons.]
The Extended NATO Military AllianceEgypt,
the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia (within the extended military
alliance) are partners of NATO, whose forces could be deployed in a
campaign directed against Syria.
Israel is a de facto member of NATO following an agreement signed in 2005.
The process of military planning within NATO's
extended alliance involves coordination between the Pentagon, NATO,
Israel's Defense Force (IDF), as well as the active military involvement
of the frontline Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States,
Egypt: all in all ten Arab countries plus Israel are members of The
Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative.
We are at a dangerous crossroads. The geopolitical implications are far-reaching.
Syria has borders with Jordan, Israel, Lebanon,
Turkey and Iraq. It spreads across the valley of the Euphrates, it is at
the crossroads of major waterways and pipeline routes.
Syria is an ally of Iran. Russia has a naval base in North Western Syria (see map).
Establishment of a base in Tartus and rapid advancement of military technology cooperation with Damascus makes Syria Russia's instrumental bridgehead and bulwark in the Middle East.Damascus is an important ally of Iran and irreconcilable enemy of Israel. It goes without saying that appearance of the Russian military base in the region will certainly introduce corrections into the existing correlation of forces.Russia is taking the Syrian regime under its protection. It will almost certainly sour Moscow's relations with Israel. It may even encourage the Iranian regime nearby and make it even less tractable in the nuclear program talks.( Ivan Safronov, Russia to defend its principal Middle East ally: Moscow takes Syria under its protection, Global Research July 28, 2006)
World War III Scenario
For the last five years, the Middle East-Central Asian region has been on an active war footing.
Syria has significant air defense capabilities as well as ground forces.
Syria has been building up its air
defense system with the delivery of Russian Pantsir S1 air-defense
missiles. In 2010, Russia delivered a Yakhont missile system to Syria.
The Yakhont operating out of Russia's Tartus naval base "are designed
for engagement of enemy's ships at the range up to 300 km". (Bastion missile systems to protect Russian naval base in Syria, Ria Novosti, September 21, 2010).
The structure of military alliances respectively on
the US-NATO and Syria-Iran-SCO sides, not to mention the military
involvement of Israel, the complex relationship between Syria and
Lebanon, the pressures exerted by Turkey on Syria's northern border,
point indelibly to a dangerous process of escalation.
Any form of US-NATO sponsored military intervention
directed against Syria would destabilize the entire region, potentially
leading to escalation over a vast geographical area, extending from the
Eastern Mediterranean to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border with Tajikistan
and China.
In the short run, with the war in Libya, the US-NATO military alliance is overextended in terms of its capabilities. Whiel we do not forsee the implementation of a US-NATO military operation in the short-term, the process of political destabilization through the covert support of a rebel insurgency will in all likelihood continue.
In the short run, with the war in Libya, the US-NATO military alliance is overextended in terms of its capabilities. Whiel we do not forsee the implementation of a US-NATO military operation in the short-term, the process of political destabilization through the covert support of a rebel insurgency will in all likelihood continue.
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| August 11, 2011 Tomgram: Engelhardt, The Pentagon's Fake Jihadists Could the Pentagon Be Responsible for Your Death? The Military’s Marching Orders to the Jihadist World By Tom Engelhardt Put what follows in the category of paragraphs no one noticed that should have made the nation’s hair stand on end. This particular paragraph should also have sent chills through the body politic, launched warning flares, and left the people’s representatives in Congress shouting about something other than the debt crisis. Last weekend, two reliable New York Times reporters, Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker, had a piece in that paper’s Sunday Review entitled “ After 9/11, an Era of Tinker, Tailor, Jihadist, Spy.” Its focus was the latest counterterrorism thinking at the Pentagon: deterrence theory. (Evidently an amalgam of the old Cold War ideas of “containment” and nuclear deterrence wackily reimagined by the boys in the five-sided building for the age of the jihadi.) Schmitt and Shanker’s article was, a note informed the reader, based on research for their forthcoming book, Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America’s Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda. And here’s the paragraph, buried in the middle of their piece, that should have stopped readers in their tracks: “Or consider what American computer specialists are doing on the Internet, perhaps terrorist leaders’ greatest safe haven, where they recruit, raise money, and plot future attacks on a global scale. American specialists have become especially proficient at forging the onscreen cyber-trademarks used by Al Qaeda to certify its Web statements, and are posting confusing and contradictory orders, some so virulent that young Muslims dabbling in jihadist philosophy, but on the fence about it, might be driven away.” The italics are mine, and as the authors urge us to do, let’s consider for a moment this tiny, remarkably bizarre window into military reality. As a start, just where those military “computer specialists” are remains unknown. Perhaps they are in the Pentagon, perhaps somewhere in the National Counterterrorism Center, but whoever and wherever they are, here’s the question of the week, possibly of the month or the year: Just what kind of “orders” can they be posting “so virulent that young Muslims dabbling in jihadist philosophy, but on the fence about it, might be driven away”? And even if our computer experts really were capable of turning wavering young Muslims back from the shores of jihadism -- and personally I wouldn’t put my money on the Pentagon’s skills in that realm -- what about young Muslims (or older ones for that matter) who weren’t on that fence and took those “orders” seriously? What exactly are they being “ordered” to do? Talk about a potential Frankenstein situation -- and all we can do is ask questions. Just what monsters, for example, might the military’s computer specialists be helping to forge? And who exactly is supervising those “specialists” and their vituperative messages? (Especially since they are unlikely to be in English, and we already know that Arabic, Pashto, Dari, and Farsi speakers at the higher levels, or even lower levels, of the Pentagon are, at best, few and far between.) Click here to read more of this dispatch. |
| Die Themen des Tages | 11.08.2011 | 13:45 UTC |
| Politik & Gesellschaft | Wirtschaft | Kultur & Leben |
| Politik & Gesellschaft |
| Grossbritannien |
| Großaufgebot der Polizei stoppt Krawalle |
 |
In
Großbritannien ist es nach den Krawallen der vergangenen Tage in der
Nacht verhältnismäßig ruhig geblieben. Die ersten Randalierer wurden zu
Haftstrafen verurteilt. Die Menschen trauern um drei getötete Männer.  |
|
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| Kosovo |
| Westerwelle hofft auf Lösung im Grenzkonflikt |
 |
Zum
Abschluss seiner Balkanreise besucht Außenminister Westerwelle das
Kosovo. Angesichts des Grenzstreits mit Serbien forderte er eine baldige
Lösung. Dazu müssten die Schlichtungsgespräche wieder aufgenommen
werden. |
|
||||||
| Syrien |
| Westen fordert erneut Sanktionen gegen Syrien |
 |
In
der vergangenen Woche hat der UN-Sicherheitsrat die Gewalt in Syrien
gegen Demonstranten verurteilt, doch der Ruf verhallte ungehört. Jetzt
fordern europäische Botschafter eine härte Gangart. |
| Die Berliner Mauer - vom Anfang bis zum Ende |
| Der
Bau der Berliner Mauer jährt sich zum 50. Mal. Bis 1989 teilte sie
Berlin in Ost und West. Sie war Symbol des Kalten Krieges. Wir blicken
zurück auf 28 Jahre Geschichte vor und hinter der Grenze - Schauen Sie
mit! |
| Umbruch in der arabischen Welt |
| Der Nahe Osten zwischen Freiheit und Diktatur |
| Seit
Wochen ist zwischen Marokko und dem Jemen nichts mehr wie es war. Das
Volk begehrt auf. Diktatoren werden gestürzt oder klammern sich
verzweifelt an die Macht. Wir haben die Ereignisse zusammengefasst. |
| Wirtschaft |
| Börse |
| Börsenhändler zwischen Angst und Hoffnung |
 |
Nach
den neuen Kursstürzen blicken die Anleger bang auf die Aktienmärkte.
Kann der elftägige Sinkflug gestoppt werden? Der Handelstag in Asien
machte zumindest ein wenig Hoffnung. Aber was macht die deutsche Börse? |
|
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| Weltwirtschaft |
| Wege aus der Staatsschuldenkrise |
 |
Die
Misere könnte kaum größer sein: Statt einzelner Banken müssen jetzt
ganze Staaten gerettet werden – ihre Schuldenlast ist erdrückend. Und
die Märkte trauen der Politik nicht mehr zu, diese Krise zu lösen. Was
nun? |
|
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| Krisen, Crash und Chaos |
 |
Ob
Tulpen, das Internet oder Immobilien: Die Auslöser für
Wirtschaftskrisen könnten unterschiedlicher nicht sein. Ein
Multimedia-Special unseres Partners boerse.ARD.de. |
| Unternehmen |
| Apple besteigt den Börsenthron |
| Steve
Jobs Wunderkind Apple hat sich ein Kopf-an-Kopf-Rennen an der Börse mit
dem Ölmulti Exxon Mobil geliefert. Der Hersteller von iPhone und iPad
ist nun der wertvollste börsennotierte Konzern der Welt. |
| Kultur & Leben |
| Geschichte |
| Der rotbärtige Kaiser der Sehnsucht |
 |
Kaiser
Friedrich I. war beliebt. Als Barbarossa wurde er nach seinem Tod noch
bekannter. Zumindest geht die Sage von Barbarossa auf ihn zurück.
Geformt durch den Volksglauben, genutzt von Marketingstrategen. |
|
|||||||||
| 60 Jahre Goethe-Institut |
| 60 Jahre Goethe-Institut |
| Die
Goethe-Institute fördern nicht nur die deutsche Sprache im Ausland. In
rund 100 Ländern geht es genauso um Kunst und Kultur. Wir zeigen, was
hinter der weltweiten Sprach- und Kulturarbeit steckt. |
Prepared for the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs View this page at www.dailyalert.org
Subscribe
| Via Smartphone |
August 11, 2011
In-Depth Issues:
Hizbullah: Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Hizbullah Will Wipe Out Israel Following U.S. Withdrawal from Iraq (MEMRI)
Hizbullah MP Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Walid Sakariya told the London-based Arab TV station ANB on August 7:
"Iran is the country most hostile to Israel, but Iraq serves as a buffer between Iran and the Palestine front....Iran supports the forces of confrontation: Hamas, Hizbullah, and Syria."
"If, following the U.S. withdrawal, Iraq becomes a bridge linking Iran to Syria, the Iranian forces could cross Iraq and arrive in Syria, in order to participate in a direct war on the Golan front. In that case, Israel would not be fighting Hizbullah alone. It would be fighting Hizbullah, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. This is the so-called 'Shiite Crescent' that they fear."
"You will have the strategic superiority and a force large enough to pulverize Israel, even if this war costs you hundreds of thousands of martyrs - not just 1,000 or 2,000. You will enter this war with a population mass exceeding 100 million....Hizbullah, Syria, Iraq, and Iran will constitute a force that is militarily superior to Israel and will destroy it."
Iranian Commander: Netanyahu Should Prepare to Stand Trial Like Mubarak (Fars-Iran)
Commander of Iran's Basij forces Brig.-Gen. Mohammad Reza Naqdi said Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should prepare for a trial in a cage like former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak.
"Today Zionists are completely surrounded by the Mujahedin of Islam and we advise them to return to the countries of their origin soon to save their lives," Naqdi said.
See also Iranian President Ahmadinejad Deplores Suppression of Protesters in Britain (Fars-Iran)
Revived Mujahidin Faction Emerges in Gaza (Media Line-Jerusalem Post)
Ansar Al-Mujahidin, a new break-away armed faction with declared links to Fatah, has emerged in Gaza, claiming to have thousands of members.
The group's spokesman, Abu Bilal, said this week that the group had previously existed under the name Kataeb Al-Mujahidin, and had claimed responsibility for numerous attacks on Israelis in 2009 and 2010. "Mujahidin" means "holy warriors."
"We have successfully executed many jihad missions against Israel, our enemy, and we have given so many souls to Palestine because the Israeli enemy has assassinated many of our leaders and leading members," he said.
"It's a growing headache for Hamas as the global jihad movement is growing in Gaza," said one Israeli security official. "They are Salafists or Jihadists and are setting up these organizations all the time."
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- Support for Assad Government Shows Signs of Weakening - Anthony Shadid and Steven Lee Myers
Cracks have begun to emerge in the Syrian leadership, dissidents and analysts say, with signs of flagging support of the business elite in Damascus, divisions among senior officials, and even moves by former government stalwarts to distance themselves from the regime. "They're starting to be divided, and you have people in the government who are really getting frustrated with Assad and his security circles," an Obama administration official in Washington said.
In Damascus this week, 41 former Baathists and government officials announced an initiative for a political transition, led by Mohammed Salman, a former information minister. (New York Times) - Syria's Assad Target of War Crimes Investigation - Borzou Daragahi
At least one Western government is bankrolling a project to gather evidence that could be used to indict Syria's President Bashar Assad at an international tribunal over his crackdown on the country's democracy movement, said a diplomat whose government is sponsoring it. As part of the effort, international legal experts held a workshop in Turkey last month to train Syrian activists in how to document alleged crimes against humanity, said Nabil Halaby, a Lebanese-based human rights lawyer who is part of the project. (Los Angeles Times) - U.S. Adds Sanctions on Syria - Nour Malas, Marc Champion, and Jay Solomon
The U.S., aiming to weaken the Assad regime's financial network, on Wednesday sanctioned Syria's largest commercial bank and its largest telecommunications company. The Treasury action bars any U.S. business with the Commercial Bank of Syria and Syriatel, which is controlled by Assad's cousin, Rami Makhluf. U.S. officials said the sanctioning of the bank could significantly impair Damascus' ability to sell crude oil, as most of its oil sales are conducted through the bank. The U.S. also charged the bank with facilitating arms deals between Syria and North Korea. (Wall Street Journal) - Islamist Militant Group Resurgent in Egypt - Mohamed Fadel Fahmy
A well-armed jihadist group is making its presence felt in the Egyptian town of el Arish in Sinai on the Mediterranean coast, intimidating opponents and demanding Egypt becomes an Islamist state. In July the Takfir-wal Higra - a group sympathetic to al-Qaeda's goal of establishing an Islamic Caliphate - "stormed in by the hundreds mounted on pickup trucks and motorcycles waving black flags, a symbol of Jihad," said local resident Mohamed Mahmoud. "The militants were heavily armed with machine guns, hand grenades and rocket-propelled grenades," he said. "They attacked two police stations and scared the residents under the name of Jihad."
The head of security in North Sinai, General Saleh al Masry, told CNN: "I guarantee there is no al-Qaeda presence in Sinai but the Takfiris are in the thousands." Takfir-wal Higra was founded by Shukri Mustafa in the 1970s as a splinter group of the Muslim Brotherhood. (CNN)
See also The New Sinai - Alex Joffe (Jewish Ideas Daily)
See also In Egypt's Bedouin Badlands: No Police Allowed - Abigail Hauslohner (TIME)
- Western Diplomat: UN Statehood Bid Will Harm U.S.-PA Ties - Barak Ravid
Cooperation between the U.S. and the Palestinian Authority will be harmed if the PA goes through with its plan to seek UN recognition of a Palestinian state at the General Assembly session in September, a senior Western diplomat told Israeli journalists on Wednesday in Tel Aviv.
"If the PA will go to the UN in September, it will make it harder for us to have the same relations with them as we had before when it comes to aid and security training," the diplomat said. "We are trying very hard to make clear to the Palestinians that only direct talks can achieve their goals," the diplomat said. "We told the PA that going to the UN is a bad idea and avoiding talks will not produce any results for them." (Ha'aretz) - Italian Deputies Oppose UN Recognition of Palestinian State - Benjamin Weinthal
Italian deputy Fiamma Nirenstein told the Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that over 150 of her fellow parliamentarians signed a document rejecting the Palestinian Authority's attempt to circumvent the peace process and convince UN member states to recognize an independent Palestinian state.
The letter says: "The Palestinian Authority does not meet the traditional test for statehood - particularly the test of effective government - such that a premature and unilateral recognition of an 'unripe' Palestinian state could have a prejudicial effect on other regional conflicts." (Jerusalem Post) - New Housing Projects Planned for Jerusalem - Kobi Nahshoni
Interior Minister Eli Yishai has authorized the construction of 1,600 housing units in the northeastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, 700 units in the adjacent neighborhood of Pisgat Zeev, and a 2,000-unit project planned for Givat HaMatos. Yishai views the projects as one of the solutions to Jerusalem's housing plight. A project for 7,000 housing units has been approved in the Haifa district as well.
Israel is currently experiencing a wave of public protests that have focused on the serious shortage of affordable housing. Last week the Knesset passed new legislation to accelerate the authorization process for new housing projects. (Ynet News)
- Assad's Noose Tightens - Lee Smith
Tony Badran, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, believes that Assad may have already dug his own grave by making war on Syria's powerful tribes in the eastern part of the country. "The regime abducted and detained the chief of the tribal confederacy, Sheikh Nawaf al-Bashir, and assaulted Deir al-Zour with tanks," says Badran. "The tribes are incensed and ready to mobilize against Assad. Unlike the besieged civilians in Hama or Homs, these tribes straddle the border with Iraq where they have extensions that number even more than they do in Syria. This means that should they decide to pick up arms against the regime, they will have strategic depth in Iraq. A tribal insurrection in eastern Syria poses a critical challenge to Assad and his troops - many of whom have already defected in Deir al-Zour and Albu Kamal." (Weekly Standard) - Turkey Should Take a Harder Line on Syria - Suat Kiniklioglu
There is something in the human condition that urges us to intervene in the killing of people who live right next door. Turkey must take the lead, build the necessary diplomatic consensus/coalition and communicate in a way that leaves Damascus in no doubt that Turkey will no longer stand by while Syrian security forces kill their own citizens.
There is every indication that the Syrian protests are broadening their base to include the Syrian middle class now, too. Even in the wealthy suburbs of Damascus and the business community in Aleppo there are signs that cracks are forming. We simply should not support a minority dictatorship that sees itself as equal to Turkey. It is time that Turkey take a harder line. (Today's Zaman-Turkey) - Assad's Overreach Pushes Former Allies into a Corner - Michael Young
For months Syrian security forces have been slaughtering protesters at will, with no response from the Arab world. But Hama was one massacre too many, as many in the region are viewing the repression of a Sunni majority by Syria's Alawite minority. In recent days, Turkey, the GCC and the Arab League have condemned Damascus, with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain recalling their ambassadors. The Syrian leader was quietly given time to put his house in order, but couldn't deliver.
With the regional doors slamming shut, the options are narrowing for Assad. There is no military answer to his regime's problems. (The National-UAE)
- The U.S. needs to decide whether to focus on the convening and facilitating of permanent status negotiations or on attempting to achieve some interim agreement. The U.S. should avoid spending its limited time and energy on attempting to improve the environment for such talks.
- Palestinians should understand that no one has a greater interest in a negotiated resolution of the conflict than they do. Accordingly, it is never in the Palestinians' interest to attach preconditions to the convening of such negotiations.
- The PA must avoid creating confusion regarding its basic objectives. If its strategic goal is to conclude an agreement with the Jewish state rather than attempting to replace it in some fashion, then it cannot enter into a partnership with Hamas unless it is made crystal clear that Hamas has come around to the PA's approach to negotiations - which would entail Hamas' recognition of Israel, renunciation of violence, and acceptance of all previous PLO-Israel and PA-Israel agreements.
- A
partnership with Hamas that is not seen as based on these principles
will inevitably raise doubts as to the PA's true intentions and give
credence to suspicions that it views an agreement with Israel as only a
stepping stone to future efforts to destroy the Jewish state.
The writer is Director of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies and Professor of Politics at Brandeis University.
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1. Israel to Approve 4,300 Units in Jerusalem
by Gavriel Queenan
A spokesman said Thursday that Interior Minister Eli Yishai has given final authorization to build 1,600 apartments in Jerusalem and will approve 2,700 more in the coming days.
Ministry spokesman Roi Lachmanovich said Thursday that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office knew the construction plans were moving ahead.
Israeli construction in Jerusalem is likely to rile the Palestinian Authority, that claims it as its future capital, but Israel -- that has exercised de jure sovreignty in the city since 27 June 1967 -- has said it will remain the undivided and eternal capital of the Jewish state.
In 2010 the Knesset passed legislation giving Jerusalem the highest national priority status in Israel. The law prioritized construction throughout the city, and offered grants and tax benefits to residents to make housing, infrastructure, education, employment, business, tourism, and cultural events more affordable.
Some analysts say the move will also likely hurt Washington's efforts to dissuade the PA from seeking statehood at the United Nations next month, but Israeli officials have said they do not believe an intransigent PA dead set on unilateral moves will drop the bid under any circumstances.
Despite bellicose declarations from US officials, Israeli construction in 'disputed territories' has never resulted in a material rift between the two nations.
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenan
A spokesman said Thursday that Interior Minister Eli Yishai has given final authorization to build 1,600 apartments in Jerusalem and will approve 2,700 more in the coming days.
Ministry spokesman Roi Lachmanovich said Thursday that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office knew the construction plans were moving ahead.
Israeli construction in Jerusalem is likely to rile the Palestinian Authority, that claims it as its future capital, but Israel -- that has exercised de jure sovreignty in the city since 27 June 1967 -- has said it will remain the undivided and eternal capital of the Jewish state.
In 2010 the Knesset passed legislation giving Jerusalem the highest national priority status in Israel. The law prioritized construction throughout the city, and offered grants and tax benefits to residents to make housing, infrastructure, education, employment, business, tourism, and cultural events more affordable.
Some analysts say the move will also likely hurt Washington's efforts to dissuade the PA from seeking statehood at the United Nations next month, but Israeli officials have said they do not believe an intransigent PA dead set on unilateral moves will drop the bid under any circumstances.
Despite bellicose declarations from US officials, Israeli construction in 'disputed territories' has never resulted in a material rift between the two nations.
Comment on this story
2. Analysis: PA's Millions Capable of 'Calm' Rallies?
by Chana Ya'ar
The Associated Press is reporting that the Palestinian Authority is planning “calm” rallies for September, when the entity will make its bid at the United Nations for world recognition as an independent nation.
The AP article, written by Mohammed Daraghmeh, notes that the demonstrations are to be carried out worldwide – in the PA territories “and abroad.” Daraghmeh adds that talks with Israel that should have led to a final status agreement have been stalled for most of the past three years “and there is no sign the two sides can agree on conditions to resume them.”
He does not point out that it was the Palestinian Authority that refused to negotiate as soon as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu entered office. Nor does he mention that the PA has consistently chosen to avoid resuming talks without first demanding that Israel agree to all of its demands prior to even reaching the table.
Daraghmeh interviewed Adnan Dameri, spokesman for the PA security forces, who told him that “all necessary measures” are being taken to prevent violence from erupting at the demonstrations.
However, it is also clear from Daraghmeh's article that measures have been taken to ensure that maximum disruption will be enforced in every possible country where PA Arabs reside.
Organizer Hassan Balawi told the AP the rallies are to begin in early September and will “peak” on September 21, when PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas addresses the United Nations General Assembly.
PA security forces hope to prevent demonstrators within its territory from flooding IDF checkpoints and Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria. They also plan to prevent “mass charges on Israeli border points,” although there is no clear indication of how or if that could be done.
Daraghmeh also points out that Gaza, originally considered to be part of the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords, is no longer really part of the Ramallah-administered territory.
“A wild card in the deck is Gaza, run by the Islamic militant Hamas, not the Palestinian Authority. Hamas is disdainful of the U.N. initiative and is seen unlikely to organize protests to support it, but if violence erupts... Gaze could be expected to follow,” he notes.
Still, Dameri told Daraghmeh that the PA has no interest in promoting violence against Israel at this point. “The conclusion we drew from the previous uprising is that violence serves Israeli interest, not our interests,” he said.
However, not all PA leaders appear to be on the same page.
Imprisoned Tanzim terrorist head Marwan Barghouti, who serves even from the jail as a member of the PA's parliament, the Palestinian Legislative Council, told an Egyptian news service this week that a veto by the United States against U.N. recognition of PA statehood would be a “historic, deadly mistake.
Bargouti, who is also a member of Abbas' Fatah faction, added that such a veto “will be confronted by millions' strong protests throughout the Arab and Muslim world – indeed, throughout the whole world,” according to the AFP news agency.
Last month Barghouti called on “millions” of PA Arabs in a letter published in the Al Quds newspaper to march in mass rallies in Judea, Samaria and Gaza to support the PA bid for U.N. recognition as a state.
The PA folk hero is serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison for multiple terrorist murders of innocent civilians in Israel.
Israeli Arab Knesset Member Hanin Zoabi (Balad party) also issued a statement in an Israeli newspaper earlier this year expressing her hopes for a third intifada. Zoabi, who has participated in the illegal foreign flotilla attempts to breach Israel's maritime blockade of Gaza, predicted last summer that a third intifada was on the horizon.
Israel's Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman warned Sunday that the PA is planning to attack Israel with “bloodshed on a scale we haven't seen” in September. He urged the government to sever all ties with the entity, which is currently engaged in a lawfare attempt to prosecute IDF officers and soldiers at the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
The Associated Press is reporting that the Palestinian Authority is planning “calm” rallies for September, when the entity will make its bid at the United Nations for world recognition as an independent nation.
The AP article, written by Mohammed Daraghmeh, notes that the demonstrations are to be carried out worldwide – in the PA territories “and abroad.” Daraghmeh adds that talks with Israel that should have led to a final status agreement have been stalled for most of the past three years “and there is no sign the two sides can agree on conditions to resume them.”
He does not point out that it was the Palestinian Authority that refused to negotiate as soon as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu entered office. Nor does he mention that the PA has consistently chosen to avoid resuming talks without first demanding that Israel agree to all of its demands prior to even reaching the table.
Daraghmeh interviewed Adnan Dameri, spokesman for the PA security forces, who told him that “all necessary measures” are being taken to prevent violence from erupting at the demonstrations.
However, it is also clear from Daraghmeh's article that measures have been taken to ensure that maximum disruption will be enforced in every possible country where PA Arabs reside.
Organizer Hassan Balawi told the AP the rallies are to begin in early September and will “peak” on September 21, when PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas addresses the United Nations General Assembly.
PA security forces hope to prevent demonstrators within its territory from flooding IDF checkpoints and Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria. They also plan to prevent “mass charges on Israeli border points,” although there is no clear indication of how or if that could be done.
Daraghmeh also points out that Gaza, originally considered to be part of the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords, is no longer really part of the Ramallah-administered territory.
“A wild card in the deck is Gaza, run by the Islamic militant Hamas, not the Palestinian Authority. Hamas is disdainful of the U.N. initiative and is seen unlikely to organize protests to support it, but if violence erupts... Gaze could be expected to follow,” he notes.
Still, Dameri told Daraghmeh that the PA has no interest in promoting violence against Israel at this point. “The conclusion we drew from the previous uprising is that violence serves Israeli interest, not our interests,” he said.
However, not all PA leaders appear to be on the same page.
Imprisoned Tanzim terrorist head Marwan Barghouti, who serves even from the jail as a member of the PA's parliament, the Palestinian Legislative Council, told an Egyptian news service this week that a veto by the United States against U.N. recognition of PA statehood would be a “historic, deadly mistake.
Bargouti, who is also a member of Abbas' Fatah faction, added that such a veto “will be confronted by millions' strong protests throughout the Arab and Muslim world – indeed, throughout the whole world,” according to the AFP news agency.
Last month Barghouti called on “millions” of PA Arabs in a letter published in the Al Quds newspaper to march in mass rallies in Judea, Samaria and Gaza to support the PA bid for U.N. recognition as a state.
The PA folk hero is serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison for multiple terrorist murders of innocent civilians in Israel.
Israeli Arab Knesset Member Hanin Zoabi (Balad party) also issued a statement in an Israeli newspaper earlier this year expressing her hopes for a third intifada. Zoabi, who has participated in the illegal foreign flotilla attempts to breach Israel's maritime blockade of Gaza, predicted last summer that a third intifada was on the horizon.
Israel's Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman warned Sunday that the PA is planning to attack Israel with “bloodshed on a scale we haven't seen” in September. He urged the government to sever all ties with the entity, which is currently engaged in a lawfare attempt to prosecute IDF officers and soldiers at the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
Comment on this story
3. 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
4. Cost of Living Protests Reach IDF: 11 Soldiers Abandon Mission
by David Lev
For the first time, protests over the high cost of living have reached the ranks of the IDF. A report on Army Radio Thursday morning said that eleven IDF soldiers belonging to the Kfir division Duchifat unit left in the the middle of an operation in the field, claiming that they were protesting their difficult financial situation. The report said that the soldiers claimed they were being made fun because they could not afford some of the material goods that some more senior soldiers are able to afford. Their commanders are not interested in their problems, they said.
The incident occurred over the past several days, and since them three of the soldiers have returned to their unit, the report said. An IDF spokesperson said that the commanders had expressed their “grave dissatisfaction” with the soldiers, and that they are being dealt with on an individual basis.
Meanwhile, organizers of the protest tent movement on Rothschild Boulevard are making plans for another weekend of protests and demonstrations. This time, however, the action will move from Tel Aviv to Be'ersheva and other peripheral towns and cities, where the protest organizers hope to garner large crowds and prove that the protests concern middle and working class Israelis, not just upper middle class kids from Tel Aviv who can't afford apartments in the center of the city.
The protest in Be'ersheva is being coordinated with the Ben Gurion University Students' Union, whose chairman, Uri Keidar, said in a radio interview that the protest in Be'ersheva “will deflect the criticism that there protests are only for people in Tel Aviv. This criticism is unjustified, and the show of strength that will take place this Saturday night will prove this. I am positive that many people will come to this and dozens of other protests in peripheral towns and cities that are to be held,” he said.
Observers were doubtful that the large numbers that were reported at last Saturday's rally in Tel Aviv would be repeated in Be'ersheva or anywhere else, since many of those who attended the Tel Aviv rally likely came to enjoy the free musical performances by many of Israel's top musicians who came and played at the rally.
?
Comment on this story
by David Lev
For the first time, protests over the high cost of living have reached the ranks of the IDF. A report on Army Radio Thursday morning said that eleven IDF soldiers belonging to the Kfir division Duchifat unit left in the the middle of an operation in the field, claiming that they were protesting their difficult financial situation. The report said that the soldiers claimed they were being made fun because they could not afford some of the material goods that some more senior soldiers are able to afford. Their commanders are not interested in their problems, they said.
The incident occurred over the past several days, and since them three of the soldiers have returned to their unit, the report said. An IDF spokesperson said that the commanders had expressed their “grave dissatisfaction” with the soldiers, and that they are being dealt with on an individual basis.
Meanwhile, organizers of the protest tent movement on Rothschild Boulevard are making plans for another weekend of protests and demonstrations. This time, however, the action will move from Tel Aviv to Be'ersheva and other peripheral towns and cities, where the protest organizers hope to garner large crowds and prove that the protests concern middle and working class Israelis, not just upper middle class kids from Tel Aviv who can't afford apartments in the center of the city.
The protest in Be'ersheva is being coordinated with the Ben Gurion University Students' Union, whose chairman, Uri Keidar, said in a radio interview that the protest in Be'ersheva “will deflect the criticism that there protests are only for people in Tel Aviv. This criticism is unjustified, and the show of strength that will take place this Saturday night will prove this. I am positive that many people will come to this and dozens of other protests in peripheral towns and cities that are to be held,” he said.
Observers were doubtful that the large numbers that were reported at last Saturday's rally in Tel Aviv would be repeated in Be'ersheva or anywhere else, since many of those who attended the Tel Aviv rally likely came to enjoy the free musical performances by many of Israel's top musicians who came and played at the rally.
?
Comment on this story
5. Iran Clamps Down on Google
by Chana Ya'ar
The Islamic Republic has clamped down on the Internet's newest social network, Google+ .
The crackdown comes only 16 days after the search engine giant launched the new program.
The Development Center for Information Technology and Digital media (DCITDM) of the country's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance issued a statement this week claiming the Internet giant is a Western spy tool.
“Google+ is Western countries' newest project for spying on Iran,” the agency claimed.
“Google hastily started its 'Real Time' service on February 14, and their aim was disrupting public security, but [this attempt] was neutralized with immediate and intelligent reactions from officials,” said Ruhollah Momen nasab, head of DCITDM.
The high-tech website Cyberdissidents.org said in a statement it was not surprised by the move. “It was predictable that the new social network would be blocked by the Iranian regime, much like Orkut and Facebook were, but few expected it to happen so fast,” the site said.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
The Islamic Republic has clamped down on the Internet's newest social network, Google+ .
The crackdown comes only 16 days after the search engine giant launched the new program.
The Development Center for Information Technology and Digital media (DCITDM) of the country's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance issued a statement this week claiming the Internet giant is a Western spy tool.
“Google+ is Western countries' newest project for spying on Iran,” the agency claimed.
“Google hastily started its 'Real Time' service on February 14, and their aim was disrupting public security, but [this attempt] was neutralized with immediate and intelligent reactions from officials,” said Ruhollah Momen nasab, head of DCITDM.
The high-tech website Cyberdissidents.org said in a statement it was not surprised by the move. “It was predictable that the new social network would be blocked by the Iranian regime, much like Orkut and Facebook were, but few expected it to happen so fast,” the site said.
Comment on this story
6. Former Tunisia Security Chief Begs Forgiveness in Court
by Chana Ya'ar
Former Tunisian security chief Ali al-Seriati begged the forgiveness of the Tunisian people Wednesday while appearing in court.
Seriati's sudden outburst came at the close of the day.
A much-feared strongman while in power, Seriati surprised his lawyers when he shouted at the end of the hearing, “I ask the Tunisian people to forgive me. I am Tunisian and I love Tunisia!”
The ex-security chief was being tried on charges of providing former President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali's relatives with forged passports in order to facilitate their escape from the country during its Jasmine Revolution earlier this year.
The verdicts on Seriati and 23 relatives of Ben Ali and his wife Leila Trabelsi – who are accused to attempting to flee Tunisia with large quantities of jewelry and foreign currency – are expected to be handed down on Friday.
Seriati also faces separate charges of attempting to create chaos and internal disturbances after his former boss, Ben Ali, was ousted from the government after ruling the country for 23 years. Unrest has continued to plague Tunisia periodically despite efforts by the transitional government to reassert stability in the country.
Ben Ali fled the country on January 14 after Tunisia ignited in a grassroots “Arab Spring” uprising that eventually swept through nearly every other Arab country in the Middle East and northern Africa. The country has since banned normalized of ties with Israel under its new constitution.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
Former Tunisian security chief Ali al-Seriati begged the forgiveness of the Tunisian people Wednesday while appearing in court.
Seriati's sudden outburst came at the close of the day.
A much-feared strongman while in power, Seriati surprised his lawyers when he shouted at the end of the hearing, “I ask the Tunisian people to forgive me. I am Tunisian and I love Tunisia!”
The ex-security chief was being tried on charges of providing former President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali's relatives with forged passports in order to facilitate their escape from the country during its Jasmine Revolution earlier this year.
The verdicts on Seriati and 23 relatives of Ben Ali and his wife Leila Trabelsi – who are accused to attempting to flee Tunisia with large quantities of jewelry and foreign currency – are expected to be handed down on Friday.
Seriati also faces separate charges of attempting to create chaos and internal disturbances after his former boss, Ben Ali, was ousted from the government after ruling the country for 23 years. Unrest has continued to plague Tunisia periodically despite efforts by the transitional government to reassert stability in the country.
Ben Ali fled the country on January 14 after Tunisia ignited in a grassroots “Arab Spring” uprising that eventually swept through nearly every other Arab country in the Middle East and northern Africa. The country has since banned normalized of ties with Israel under its new constitution.
Comment on this story
7. Police OK to Demand Face Veils Off in Future British Riots
by Chana Ya'ar
British Prime Minister David Cameron announced Thursday at an emergency session of parliament that the government would empower police to demand removal of a face veil during future riots. Parliament had been summoned by the prime minister to the unusual day's session in response to the nearly week-long violence that wracked the country.
Cameron also said the government is considering the merits of calling in the army to provide backup support for police who need to move to the “front line” in future riots as well.
In addition, those whose homes or businesses have been damaged in the riots over the past week will be compensated, he said.
Wednesday night was the first calm night since riots swept the nation beginning last Saturday evening. According to the prime minister 1,200 people have been arrested in connection with the unrest, including 888 in London alone. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported late Wednesday night that 150 people were arrested in clashes with police after protesters hurled objects at the officers in a north London neighborhood.
More are expected to be arrested as well, as police continue to review security tapes on closed circuit video systems.
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by Chana Ya'ar
British Prime Minister David Cameron announced Thursday at an emergency session of parliament that the government would empower police to demand removal of a face veil during future riots. Parliament had been summoned by the prime minister to the unusual day's session in response to the nearly week-long violence that wracked the country.
Cameron also said the government is considering the merits of calling in the army to provide backup support for police who need to move to the “front line” in future riots as well.
In addition, those whose homes or businesses have been damaged in the riots over the past week will be compensated, he said.
Wednesday night was the first calm night since riots swept the nation beginning last Saturday evening. According to the prime minister 1,200 people have been arrested in connection with the unrest, including 888 in London alone. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported late Wednesday night that 150 people were arrested in clashes with police after protesters hurled objects at the officers in a north London neighborhood.
More are expected to be arrested as well, as police continue to review security tapes on closed circuit video systems.
Comment on this story
8. Syrian Troops Crack Down on Northern Town of Saraqeb
by Chana Ya'ar
Syrian government forces invaded the northern town of Saraqeb Thursday in a continuation of President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on dissidents.
The troops were transported by 50 buses, pickup trucks and security vehicles, according to local residents who spoke with a Reuters reporter as they fled the town, located in Idlib province some 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the border with Turkey.
Soldiers also employed 14 tanks and armored vehicles to invade the town, firing randomly and storming houses as they entered. International media also reported Thursday that five demonstrators were killed and 16 were wounded in a clash with Syrian tanks during a protest against the Assad regime in the village of Kusair near the Lebanese border.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 100 people were arrested during the operation. There have been daily anti-government demonstrations held in Saraqeb -- as elsewhere in the country -- calling for Assad's ouster after nightly Ramadan prayers, drawing Assad's wrath.
Protesters were also expressing solidarity for the besieged central city of Hama, where nearly 700,000 Syrians had been attacked by government troops for the past two weeks. Earlier this week, a number of the other towns near the Turkish border and in the northern region of the country came under government fire as well.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
Syrian government forces invaded the northern town of Saraqeb Thursday in a continuation of President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on dissidents.
The troops were transported by 50 buses, pickup trucks and security vehicles, according to local residents who spoke with a Reuters reporter as they fled the town, located in Idlib province some 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the border with Turkey.
Soldiers also employed 14 tanks and armored vehicles to invade the town, firing randomly and storming houses as they entered. International media also reported Thursday that five demonstrators were killed and 16 were wounded in a clash with Syrian tanks during a protest against the Assad regime in the village of Kusair near the Lebanese border.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 100 people were arrested during the operation. There have been daily anti-government demonstrations held in Saraqeb -- as elsewhere in the country -- calling for Assad's ouster after nightly Ramadan prayers, drawing Assad's wrath.
Protesters were also expressing solidarity for the besieged central city of Hama, where nearly 700,000 Syrians had been attacked by government troops for the past two weeks. Earlier this week, a number of the other towns near the Turkish border and in the northern region of the country came under government fire as well.
Comment on this story
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------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE GORBACHEV FILES ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Secret Papers Reveal Truth Behind Soviet Collapse Communist hardliners staged a coup against Mikhail Gorbachev 20 years ago, and the Soviet Union collapsed soon afterwards. Previously unknown documents, which SPIEGEL has obtained, show just how desperate the last Soviet leader was as he fought to retain power -- and how he begged Germany for money to save his country. http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,779277,00.html#ref=nlint -------------------- Photo Gallery: Gorbachev's Last Days http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-71394.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LOOTERS IN COURT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Britain Sends Tough Signal with Fast-Track Justice The British government has pledged to take a firm stance against those arrested during this week's riots. Courts across the country have been working around the clock to deal with the flood of cases. The hearings provide an insight into Britain's frustrated and violent underclass. http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,779624,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE WORLD FROM BERLIN ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Germans Ask, 'Could It Happen Here?' As the riots on English streets subside, the country has begun a painful discussion about the root causes of the chaos. In Germany, too, observers have warned that violence could even flare up here. On Thursday, most newspaper commentators dismissed such talk as scaremongering. http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,779677,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ GOING GODLESS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Does Secularism Make People More Ethical? Non-believers are often more educated, more tolerant and know more about God than the pious. A new wave of research is trying to figure out what goes on in the minds of an ever-growing group of people known as the "Nones". http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,777281,00.html#ref=nlint -------------------- The Anti-God Squad: Atheist Bus Campaign Gets into Gear in Germany http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,612908,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'STEP ON THE GAS' ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Far-Right Party Under Fire for Suspected Holocaust Allusion One month ahead of a state election in Berlin, the far-right extremist NPD party is under fire for a provocative new campaign poster. Party leader Udo Voigt is pictured on a motorcycle with a phrase that translates to "step on the gas," a slogan many are reading as an open allusion to Nazi death chambers. http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,779758,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WHEN THE POLISH PLUMBER FAILS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Group Rescues Stranded Immigrants Hundreds of thousands of Poles have traveled to Britain in recent years hoping to make their fortunes. But some struggle to get by and land on the street. A homeless aid group from their own country is searching for them in parks and alleys, helping to send them back home. http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,779230,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'A DEEP, INTENSE BLUE' ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Free Diver Pursues World Records at Deadly Depths In an interview with SPIEGEL, French free diver Guillaume Néry discusses the dangerous pursuit of world records, the art of holding his breath for up to eight minutes and how diving can help humans rethink their relationship to water. http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,779465,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ OPINION ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Debt Brakes Are the Best Way Out of The Crisis The world is currently feeling the pain of a lasting crisis, with massive debt problems in Europe and the United States, tumult on the markets and fears of a new global recession. The only way out, argues a leading German economist, is for every country to establish constitutional limit on budget deficits. http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,779655,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PICTURE THIS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Goose Gaze http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,779612,00.html#ref=nlint
RFE/RL Watchdog
8/11/2011 5:29:28 PM
A blog of human rights, media freedom, and democracy developments from RFE/RL's broadcast region.
For more, please visit and bookmark Watchdog . |
Slain Kyrgyz Journalist's Brother Beaten
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'Free Kazakh Lawyer' Says Rights Body
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Trial Of Six Azerbaijani Opposition Activists Continues
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Belarus Rights Activist's Arrest Condemned
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Jailed Belarusian Activist's Fiancee Also Jailed
The fiancee of a jailed Belarusian youth activist has herself been sentenced to 12 days in jail for taking part in a protest near the prison where he is being held. More |
