"BEIRUT — The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency warned Lebanese officials last week that al Qaida-linked groups are planning a campaign of bombings that will target Beirut’s Hezbollah-dominated southern suburbs as well as other political targets associated with the group or its allies in Syria, Lebanese officials said Monday.
The unusual warning – U.S. government officials are barred from directly contacting Hezbollah, which the U.S. has designated an international terrorist organization – was passed from the CIA’s Beirut station chief to several Lebanese security and intelligence officials in a meeting late last week with the understanding that it would be passed to Hezbollah, Lebanese officials said.
Hezbollah officials acknowledged the warning and took steps to tighten security in the southern suburbs that are known locally as Dahiya.
“Yes, a warning came from the CIA,” said a Hezbollah internal security commander who spoke on the condition that he not be identified because he was not authorized to talk to reporters. “They passed us this information through the mukhabarat (military intelligence), but we had our own information about the bombs.”
One Lebanese official who was at the meeting said the CIA warning included evidence that was “very convincing and scary” because it was so specific. The evidence included phone intercepts and very detailed information on a number of cells operating along Lebanon’s border with Syria, as well as inside Beirut itself.
“They had transcripts of calls made from known al Qaida people in Lebanon to people in the Gulf that included detailed information about the attacks, including the amounts of explosives that had been smuggled into Lebanon,” said one Lebanese intelligence official who is barred from speaking openly to reporters. “We have already begun to make arrests.”......
Residents of the area said they were taken aback by reports that the CIA had warned Hezbollah of a planned attack.
“We all think that the (Syrian rebels) are al Qaida and backed by the CIA and Israel,” said Abu Ibrahim, a 53-year-old day laborer from Haret Hriek, which hosts Hezbollah’s main complex of offices and homes for officials. “So why would they help us?......"
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
We've been left to die, say Syrian rebels
"Syria's top rebel commander accused Britain of betrayal last night after it abandoned plans to arm the Syrian opposition.
Gen Salim Idris, the head of the Free Syrian Army, said the decision would "leave us alone to be killed" by President Bashar al-Assad, and pave the way for al-Qa'ida to dominate the rebel ranks.
Mr Idris hit out after Downing Street confirmed that UK prime minister Cameron had ruled out arming the opposition on advice from the British military.
The government had previously hinted that it was strongly considering it, successfully lobbying two months ago for an end to the European Union arms embargo.
But military chiefs at the National Security Council are understood to have warned Downing Street that the conflict was now too advanced for basic weapons supplies to make much difference. They said that could only be achieved by a much larger-scale intervention, involving jet strikes on regime air defences and bases, which Britain has already ruled out. Instead, Britain will draw up plans to train moderate rebel units and continue supplying "non-lethal" items such as body armour and communications equipment [How about bandaids??].
The British change of heart was greeted with fury by Mr Idris, whose organisation is one of the main moderate rebel groups fighting Mr Assad. It has spent much of the last two years trying to persuade the West to give it military backing.
"The West promises and promises. This is a joke now," Mr Idris said, the anger clear in his voice. "I have not had the opportunity to ask David Cameron personally if he will leave us alone to be killed. On behalf of all the Syrians, thank you very much."
The move comes amid growing signs that the Syrian conflict is now turning in Mr Assad's favour. Yesterday, Syrian troops moved into the rebel-held Qaboun district of Damascus, stepping up efforts to drive the opposition from the capital.
Backed by fighters from Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, Syrian forces have also captured a number of key towns from the rebels, who have complained that foreign weapons supplies have all but dried up.
"What are our friends in the West waiting for?" asked Mr Idris. "For Iran and Hezbollah to kill all the Syrian people?"(© Daily Telegraph, London)"
"The Jailers Should Be Jailed": Sharif Abdel Kouddous on the Embrace of Egypt’s Military Post-Morsi
Democracy Now!
"After a week of relative quiet, new clashes have erupted in Egypt in the ongoing conflict over the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi. At least seven people were killed and more than 260 wounded in overnight violence after supporters of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood blocked traffic and marched on a key square. The unrest came just as the Obama administration resumed efforts to engage in Egypt’s political divide. In the first visit by a U.S. official since Morsi’s ouster, Deputy Secretary of State William Burns held talks with military leaders and the interim government. We go to Cairo to speak with Democracy Now! correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous. "We’re seeing a resurgence of nationalism and national amnesia, almost, that is applauding the Army and the security forces to crack down with impunity and to lead the country’s transition," Sharif says. "We have to remember this is the same Army that really mismanaged the first transition, helped lead us to this political crisis in the first place, that is guilty of many crimes itself. The jailers themselves should be jailed."....."
"After a week of relative quiet, new clashes have erupted in Egypt in the ongoing conflict over the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi. At least seven people were killed and more than 260 wounded in overnight violence after supporters of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood blocked traffic and marched on a key square. The unrest came just as the Obama administration resumed efforts to engage in Egypt’s political divide. In the first visit by a U.S. official since Morsi’s ouster, Deputy Secretary of State William Burns held talks with military leaders and the interim government. We go to Cairo to speak with Democracy Now! correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous. "We’re seeing a resurgence of nationalism and national amnesia, almost, that is applauding the Army and the security forces to crack down with impunity and to lead the country’s transition," Sharif says. "We have to remember this is the same Army that really mismanaged the first transition, helped lead us to this political crisis in the first place, that is guilty of many crimes itself. The jailers themselves should be jailed."....."
Al-Jazeera Video: Empire : of Secrets: Secrets of surveillance
"As revelations of systemic snooping continue to hit the headlines, who is watching the watchers? Watch this additional footage about America's Empire of Secrets."
Egyptian brothers and sisters!
Internal divisions will hinder Egyptians and will compromise the their revolution, argues scholar Hamid Dabashi.
By Hamid DabashiAl-Jazeera
".....
Those of you who demonstrated for Morsi do not think of those who rallied against him as your enemies - they are not - just like you they are Egyptians, mostly Muslims, share your fate and dream your common dream for a free and democratic future. They were not asking for a military coup. They were exercising their democratic rights.
Overcome the nasty old colonial divide between the religious and the secular, and the equally pernicious divide between Sunni and the Shia, the Muslim and the Copt, the Jew, the agnostic, the atheist! They are all false divides. Look into each other’s eyes - see your brothers and sisters, with or without a beard, with or without a niqab. Arrange for joint rallies, hold each other’s hands - you are not each other’s enemies. The enemy is not personified - it is structural to the world we have inherited and your revolution has paved the way for us to change.
Your magnificent revolution has taught us how to heal these enduring wounds. Those who come with billions to give you they are not the solution - they are part of the problem. Egypt does not need hand out, Egyptians do not need generosity - your magnificent revolution is the definition of generosity. With your industry, your hard work, your ingenuity, you will make Egypt a model for the rest of the world to follow and emulate.
What matters is not Morsi or another politician, Morsi or another president - what matters is the future of Egypt, the fate of millions of human beings and the hopes of even more millions watching Egypt and hoping and wondering and dreaming.
The world watches you with fear and hope, which way will you go - will false divisions destroy your hopes, our hopes, or will the dawn of a new generation of thinking, of solidarity, of purposefulness, deliver you and deliver us all to better days?
May the force of reason, may the light of sanity, and may the grace of your collective will be with you and guide your way!
Your brother in faith, and in solidarity! "
رئيس أركان الجيش السوري الحر يتهم كاميرون بخيانة المعارضة السورية
اللواء سليم إدريس
The Syrian Revolution Deserves Much Better Leadership Than People Like This Man!
He Trusts Britain?? He Trusts the US??
This is Really Pathetic!
لندن- (يو بي اي): اتهم رئيس أركان الجيش السوري الحر، اللواء سليم إدريس رئيس الوزراء البريطاني، ديفيد كاميرون، بخيانة المعارضة السورية بعد تخليه عن خطط تسليحها بأسلحة نوعية.
وحذّر من أن قرار كاميرون “سيترك جيشه عرضة للقتل من قبل قوات النظام السوري، ويمهّد الطريق أمام تنظيم القاعدة للسيطرة على صفوف المتمردين”.
وقال ادريس في مقابلة مع صحيفة (ديلي تلغراف) نشرت الثلاثاء “إن الوعود الغربية اصبحت طرفة الآن، ولم تتح لي الفرصة لسؤال كاميرون شخصياً ما إذا كان سيتركنا لوحدنا لكي نُقتل، وأنا أشكره شكراً جزيلاً بالنيابة عن جميع السوريين”.
وتساءل “ما الذي ينتظره أصدقاؤنا في الغرب؟ وهل ينتظرون قيام ايران وحزب الله بقتل الشعب السوري بأكمله”.
وأضاف ادريس “أن رفض الغرب تسليح العناصر الأكثر اعتدالاً في التمرد سيسلّم سوريا الثورة إلى الجماعات المتطرفة التي تملك أصلاً مداخل أفضل للأسلحة، ولن يكون هناك جيش سوري حر لتسليحه لأن الجماعات الاسلامية ستسيطر على كل شيء، وهذا لن يكون في مصلحة بريطانيا”.
وتأتي تصريحات ادريس بعد 24 ساعة على كشف الصحيفة نفسها عن أن كاميرون، تخلى عن تسليح من وصفتهم بالمتمردين السوريين، بعد أن حذّره قادة الجيش من أن الخطوة يمكن أن تورّط قواتهم في حرب شاملة.
وقالت الصحيفة إن القادة العسكريين البريطانيين ابلغوا كاميرون بأن ارسال أسلحة صغيرة وقذائف صاروخية لقوات المعارضة السورية لن يحدث فارقاً بعد أن تحول الزخم إلى جانب نظام الرئيس بشار الأسد، وستقوم بريطانيا بدلاً من ذلك بوضع خطط للمساعدة في تدريب العناصر المعتدلة من قوات المعارضة السورية وتقديم المشورة لها ومواصلة تزويدها بمعدات غير فتاكة، مثل الدروع ومعدات الاتصالات.
وكان ادريس (55 عاماً)، الذي انشق عن الجيش السوري في أيار/ مايو 2012 وتولى رئاسة المجلس العسكري الأعلى في كانون الأول/ ديسمبر الماضي، حذّر من فشل ما وصفها بالثورة ضد نظام الرئيس بشار الأسد ما لم يتم تزويد مقاتليه بالأسلحة من قبل بريطانيا ودول غربية أخرى.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Syrian refugees in Egypt swept up in turmoil after Mursi ouster
AP
"CAIRO: Egyptian officials turn back a planeload of Syrians at Cairo airport. A popular presenter on Egyptian television warns Syrians to steer clear of protests or face the consequences. An Egyptian state school refuses admission to Syrian children. Once welcomed with open arms, many of the tens of thousands of Syrians who took refuge in Egypt from the civil war at home now find themselves targets of hate speech and intimidation.
Their dramatic change in fortune is one of the unexpected consequences of the Egyptian military’s ouster of President Mohammad Mursi, whose Islamist-dominated government offered them favorable conditions.
The shift could have a profound impact on the lives of Syrians in Egypt as they currently find themselves in a sort of legal limbo, waiting to see where the political winds will drop them. In what many see as a hint of what lies ahead, Egypt’s new military-backed interim government already has imposed new travel restrictions.
That has spooked many Syrians who fear their current visas won’t be renewed and they could be forced to leave Egypt. Many have invested their savings in businesses or simply cannot return to their war-ravaged cities.
“Our biggest fear now is that we get deported,” said Azzam Ayed, a 32-year-old Syrian who refused to give his hometown out of fears for his security.
The backlash stems from support of the mainly Sunni Syrian opposition by Mursi during his year in office, and the Muslim Brotherhood, which offered cheap housing and food aid to Syrians who fled the civil war.
With the country divided, Mursi’s critics accused Syrians of joining the protests calling for him to be reinstated.
Human rights groups have urged Egypt to rescind the measures.
“Egypt may be going through tumultuous times, but it must not return anyone, including Syrians, to somewhere threatening their life or freedom,” Nadim Houry, the New York-based group’s deputy Middle East director, said in a statement last week. “[Egypt] simply should not strand Syrians this way, especially those who have fled such a devastating conflict at home.”
The U.N. says some 70,000 Syrians are registered in Egypt, although officials estimate the actual number may be twice that since many have opted not to register. That would make Egypt home to the fourth-largest community of Syrian refugees after Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon.
Those who came to Egypt received a warm welcome. Mursi’s government supported the rebels’ cause, and kept in place a decades-old open-door policy that allowed Syrians to come and go without prior visas. They were eligible to receive medical care at state hospitals, while their children could enroll in government schools.
Over the past few months, Syrians redefined some parts of Cairo, opening their own restaurants and cafes in areas where many of them settled.
But the warm welcome quickly evaporated after the military toppled Mursi on July 3 after four days of mass protests calling for the Islamist leader’s removal.
Television networks critical of Mursi aired allegations that the Muslim Brotherhood was paying Syrian refugees to take part in pro-Mursi protests. The arrest of at least six Syrians taking part in violent street clashes only fanned the flames.
“Syrians are facing a defamation campaign,” said Syrian activist Salma Gazayerli. “Yes, some of the Syrians support Mursi, but how many? The majority ... know they are guests in Egypt and they behave accordingly.”
Gazayerli, co-founder of the nonprofit Union of Syrian Women, said the Brotherhood had “manipulated the needs of some Syrians,” offering them cheap housing from Islamic relief groups in return for participating in protests supporting Mursi.
Those who refused, she claimed, were cut off from the aid.
Senior Brotherhood official Saad Emara rejected the allegations. “There were millions in the streets. Can we give them all money?” he said after mass rallies Friday by Mursi supporters.
Mursi made supporting the Syrian opposition in its fight against President Bashar Assad a cornerstone of his foreign policy, and Cairo is the official headquarters of the main Western-backed Syrian opposition group.
He attended a June 15 rally organized by some of his hard-line allies in a show of solidarity with the Syrian rebellion. Some of the speakers at the rally called for jihad, or holy war, in Syria, and a senior official in Mursi’s office earlier said authorities would not prevent Egyptians from traveling to Syria to join the rebel cause.
Syrians say they noted a shift in the public mood against them following the speech, but that the honeymoon in Egypt ultimately came to an abrupt end when Mursi was swept aside.
Last week, popular TV presenter Youssef al-Husseini warned Syrians taking part in pro-Mursi protests they would be beaten with shoes if caught.
“If you are a man, you return to your country and solve your problem there,” he said on his night talk show on private ONTV. “If you interfere in Egypt, you will beaten by 30 shoes.”
His comments triggered uproar on social networking sites, prompting the network to apologize. But the damage was done.
“All of a sudden, Egyptians started hating us because of the media. Before June 30, they would welcome us on the streets and greet us as guests. Now Syrians are harassed on the streets with a tone of, ‘Why don’t you go back home?’” Gazayerli, the activist, said.
Alaa Soqair, a 45-year-old Syrian, said his four children had been refused admission to a state school. He declined to say where in Syria he was from because of fears for his security.
“They didn’t even as much as look at the documents,” he said. “They just said Syrians will not be admitted to state schools anymore.”
Five days after Mursi was pushed from office, Egyptian authorities implemented new entry rules for Syrians, requiring them to obtain a visa prior to arrival. Those already in the country with no valid visa or resident permit are at risk of arrest.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said the measures were temporary and urged Syrians to stay away from protests by the Muslim Brotherhood against the new political order. The move, which exempted those with valid Egyptian visas, caught Syrians by surprise and, in one incident, an entire planeload of 200 passengers arriving from Syria was denied entry and sent back.
“We recognize the legitimate right of the country to put its own measures in place,” said Syrian activist Sima Diab, who is based in Egypt. “But what was shocking is that it all happened so quickly, in a blink of an eye.”"
"CAIRO: Egyptian officials turn back a planeload of Syrians at Cairo airport. A popular presenter on Egyptian television warns Syrians to steer clear of protests or face the consequences. An Egyptian state school refuses admission to Syrian children. Once welcomed with open arms, many of the tens of thousands of Syrians who took refuge in Egypt from the civil war at home now find themselves targets of hate speech and intimidation.
Their dramatic change in fortune is one of the unexpected consequences of the Egyptian military’s ouster of President Mohammad Mursi, whose Islamist-dominated government offered them favorable conditions.
The shift could have a profound impact on the lives of Syrians in Egypt as they currently find themselves in a sort of legal limbo, waiting to see where the political winds will drop them. In what many see as a hint of what lies ahead, Egypt’s new military-backed interim government already has imposed new travel restrictions.
That has spooked many Syrians who fear their current visas won’t be renewed and they could be forced to leave Egypt. Many have invested their savings in businesses or simply cannot return to their war-ravaged cities.
“Our biggest fear now is that we get deported,” said Azzam Ayed, a 32-year-old Syrian who refused to give his hometown out of fears for his security.
The backlash stems from support of the mainly Sunni Syrian opposition by Mursi during his year in office, and the Muslim Brotherhood, which offered cheap housing and food aid to Syrians who fled the civil war.
With the country divided, Mursi’s critics accused Syrians of joining the protests calling for him to be reinstated.
Human rights groups have urged Egypt to rescind the measures.
“Egypt may be going through tumultuous times, but it must not return anyone, including Syrians, to somewhere threatening their life or freedom,” Nadim Houry, the New York-based group’s deputy Middle East director, said in a statement last week. “[Egypt] simply should not strand Syrians this way, especially those who have fled such a devastating conflict at home.”
The U.N. says some 70,000 Syrians are registered in Egypt, although officials estimate the actual number may be twice that since many have opted not to register. That would make Egypt home to the fourth-largest community of Syrian refugees after Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon.
Those who came to Egypt received a warm welcome. Mursi’s government supported the rebels’ cause, and kept in place a decades-old open-door policy that allowed Syrians to come and go without prior visas. They were eligible to receive medical care at state hospitals, while their children could enroll in government schools.
Over the past few months, Syrians redefined some parts of Cairo, opening their own restaurants and cafes in areas where many of them settled.
But the warm welcome quickly evaporated after the military toppled Mursi on July 3 after four days of mass protests calling for the Islamist leader’s removal.
Television networks critical of Mursi aired allegations that the Muslim Brotherhood was paying Syrian refugees to take part in pro-Mursi protests. The arrest of at least six Syrians taking part in violent street clashes only fanned the flames.
“Syrians are facing a defamation campaign,” said Syrian activist Salma Gazayerli. “Yes, some of the Syrians support Mursi, but how many? The majority ... know they are guests in Egypt and they behave accordingly.”
Gazayerli, co-founder of the nonprofit Union of Syrian Women, said the Brotherhood had “manipulated the needs of some Syrians,” offering them cheap housing from Islamic relief groups in return for participating in protests supporting Mursi.
Those who refused, she claimed, were cut off from the aid.
Senior Brotherhood official Saad Emara rejected the allegations. “There were millions in the streets. Can we give them all money?” he said after mass rallies Friday by Mursi supporters.
Mursi made supporting the Syrian opposition in its fight against President Bashar Assad a cornerstone of his foreign policy, and Cairo is the official headquarters of the main Western-backed Syrian opposition group.
He attended a June 15 rally organized by some of his hard-line allies in a show of solidarity with the Syrian rebellion. Some of the speakers at the rally called for jihad, or holy war, in Syria, and a senior official in Mursi’s office earlier said authorities would not prevent Egyptians from traveling to Syria to join the rebel cause.
Syrians say they noted a shift in the public mood against them following the speech, but that the honeymoon in Egypt ultimately came to an abrupt end when Mursi was swept aside.
Last week, popular TV presenter Youssef al-Husseini warned Syrians taking part in pro-Mursi protests they would be beaten with shoes if caught.
“If you are a man, you return to your country and solve your problem there,” he said on his night talk show on private ONTV. “If you interfere in Egypt, you will beaten by 30 shoes.”
His comments triggered uproar on social networking sites, prompting the network to apologize. But the damage was done.
“All of a sudden, Egyptians started hating us because of the media. Before June 30, they would welcome us on the streets and greet us as guests. Now Syrians are harassed on the streets with a tone of, ‘Why don’t you go back home?’” Gazayerli, the activist, said.
Alaa Soqair, a 45-year-old Syrian, said his four children had been refused admission to a state school. He declined to say where in Syria he was from because of fears for his security.
“They didn’t even as much as look at the documents,” he said. “They just said Syrians will not be admitted to state schools anymore.”
Five days after Mursi was pushed from office, Egyptian authorities implemented new entry rules for Syrians, requiring them to obtain a visa prior to arrival. Those already in the country with no valid visa or resident permit are at risk of arrest.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said the measures were temporary and urged Syrians to stay away from protests by the Muslim Brotherhood against the new political order. The move, which exempted those with valid Egyptian visas, caught Syrians by surprise and, in one incident, an entire planeload of 200 passengers arriving from Syria was denied entry and sent back.
“We recognize the legitimate right of the country to put its own measures in place,” said Syrian activist Sima Diab, who is based in Egypt. “But what was shocking is that it all happened so quickly, in a blink of an eye.”"
Wave of attacks on Egypt Copts, state failing to act: NGO
AFP
"CAIRO: Egypt's Christians have been targeted in a wave of attacks since the ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Mursi, and the state is failing to protect them, an NGO said Monday.
Sectarian violence since the latest political upheaval in Egypt began has killed four Coptic Christians in Luxor governorate, with churches elsewhere torched and looted, said the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.
A Coptic man was also found decapitated on Thursday, five days after being kidnapped in the restive Sinai, where gunmen killed a Coptic priest the week earlier.
"What is disturbing is the failure of the security apparatus to act -- which at times looks like collusion -- to protect citizens and their property who are being targeted on the basis of their religion," the EIPR's Ishak Ibrahim said in a statement.
"Copts are paying the price of the inflammatory rhetoric against them coming from some Islamist leaders and supporters of the former president, who accuse Coptic spiritual leaders of conspiring to foment army intervention to remove Dr Mursi," he added.
In the worst violence cited by the rights group, in the two day's after Mursi's ouster, revenge attacks over the killing of a Muslim man in Al-Dabaiya, a town west of Luxor, left four Copts dead and several homes torched and looted, the NGO said.
It accused the police of taking no action to protect them or escort them from their homes, which were surrounded, despite the fact they repeatedly calls the security services for help.
The EIPR said it was troubled by the "disregard" of state institutions for these incidents and called on the interim authorities to take swift action to protect Egyptians and "end inflammatory campaigns targeting citizens on the basis of religion".
Sectarian tensions in Egypt have risen since an Islamist came to power for the first time in 2012, following the country's first free elections.
Egypt's Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II accused Mursi of "negligence" over his response to clashes outside Cairo's Coptic cathedral in which two people died and many were wounded.
The funeral service was for four Christians killed in a gun battle with Muslims in a town north of Cairo in which one Muslim also died."
BECAUSE WORDS CAN KILL:
Members of Gamaat Islamiyya distributed leaflets inciting against Copts in Assiut.
"CAIRO: Egypt's Christians have been targeted in a wave of attacks since the ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Mursi, and the state is failing to protect them, an NGO said Monday.
Sectarian violence since the latest political upheaval in Egypt began has killed four Coptic Christians in Luxor governorate, with churches elsewhere torched and looted, said the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.
A Coptic man was also found decapitated on Thursday, five days after being kidnapped in the restive Sinai, where gunmen killed a Coptic priest the week earlier.
"What is disturbing is the failure of the security apparatus to act -- which at times looks like collusion -- to protect citizens and their property who are being targeted on the basis of their religion," the EIPR's Ishak Ibrahim said in a statement.
"Copts are paying the price of the inflammatory rhetoric against them coming from some Islamist leaders and supporters of the former president, who accuse Coptic spiritual leaders of conspiring to foment army intervention to remove Dr Mursi," he added.
In the worst violence cited by the rights group, in the two day's after Mursi's ouster, revenge attacks over the killing of a Muslim man in Al-Dabaiya, a town west of Luxor, left four Copts dead and several homes torched and looted, the NGO said.
It accused the police of taking no action to protect them or escort them from their homes, which were surrounded, despite the fact they repeatedly calls the security services for help.
The EIPR said it was troubled by the "disregard" of state institutions for these incidents and called on the interim authorities to take swift action to protect Egyptians and "end inflammatory campaigns targeting citizens on the basis of religion".
Sectarian tensions in Egypt have risen since an Islamist came to power for the first time in 2012, following the country's first free elections.
Egypt's Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II accused Mursi of "negligence" over his response to clashes outside Cairo's Coptic cathedral in which two people died and many were wounded.
The funeral service was for four Christians killed in a gun battle with Muslims in a town north of Cairo in which one Muslim also died."
Members of Gamaat Islamiyya distributed leaflets inciting against Copts in Assiut.
Syria: Security Council Should Demand Humanitarian Access
Barring Humanitarian Groups Contributed to al-Qusayr Deaths
Human Rights Watch
"The United Nations Security Council, during its debate on July 16, 2013, should call for the Syrian government and armed opposition groups to grant humanitarian organizations access to civilians and wounded trapped by fighting in Syria. The government and opposition groups should ensure safe passage for civilians and medical treatment for all those wounded.
Denial of humanitarian access and safe passage to civilians trapped in fighting in violation of the laws of war has been a recurring issue during the Syrian armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said. A recent Human Rights Watch investigation into the government and Hezbollah attack on al-Qusayr, near Homs, found that the government’s refusal to allow humanitarian organizations access to the town appears to have contributed to several dozen deaths because no safe evacuation routes were available to civilians, and wounded people were denied adequate medical care.
“Many lives in al-Qusayr might have been saved if the Syrian government had allowed aid organizations to do their job,” said Ole Solvang, senior emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch. “When people are dying every day, Security Council members should be calling for humanitarian access, not hiding behind political negotiations.”......"
Human Rights Watch
"The United Nations Security Council, during its debate on July 16, 2013, should call for the Syrian government and armed opposition groups to grant humanitarian organizations access to civilians and wounded trapped by fighting in Syria. The government and opposition groups should ensure safe passage for civilians and medical treatment for all those wounded.
Denial of humanitarian access and safe passage to civilians trapped in fighting in violation of the laws of war has been a recurring issue during the Syrian armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said. A recent Human Rights Watch investigation into the government and Hezbollah attack on al-Qusayr, near Homs, found that the government’s refusal to allow humanitarian organizations access to the town appears to have contributed to several dozen deaths because no safe evacuation routes were available to civilians, and wounded people were denied adequate medical care.
“Many lives in al-Qusayr might have been saved if the Syrian government had allowed aid organizations to do their job,” said Ole Solvang, senior emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch. “When people are dying every day, Security Council members should be calling for humanitarian access, not hiding behind political negotiations.”......"
Egypt: Investigate Police, Military Killings of 51
Accountability Essential to Break Cycle of Impunity
"(New York) – Egypt’s interim president Adly Mansour should ensure impartial investigations of military officers and police for killings outside the Republican Guard headquarters on July 8, 2013, Human Rights Watch said today.
The investigations need to be conducted by the civilian judiciary, independent both institutionally and practically from the military chain of command.
Witnesses described a sequence of events on July 8, in which the military and police used unnecessary force, leading to the deaths of 51 protesters. Prosecutors have investigated only Muslim Brotherhood supporters and leaders for their alleged roles in the clashes, but not the military and police forces.
“The military has a track record of resorting quickly and excessively with lethal force to break up protests,” said Joe Stork, acting Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Witness after witness described the military shooting into the crowd, including at unarmed people. The government needs to find out who was responsible and ensure they are held accountable if it hopes to show it will respect basic rights during this interim period.”......."
"(New York) – Egypt’s interim president Adly Mansour should ensure impartial investigations of military officers and police for killings outside the Republican Guard headquarters on July 8, 2013, Human Rights Watch said today.
The investigations need to be conducted by the civilian judiciary, independent both institutionally and practically from the military chain of command.
Witnesses described a sequence of events on July 8, in which the military and police used unnecessary force, leading to the deaths of 51 protesters. Prosecutors have investigated only Muslim Brotherhood supporters and leaders for their alleged roles in the clashes, but not the military and police forces.
“The military has a track record of resorting quickly and excessively with lethal force to break up protests,” said Joe Stork, acting Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Witness after witness described the military shooting into the crowd, including at unarmed people. The government needs to find out who was responsible and ensure they are held accountable if it hopes to show it will respect basic rights during this interim period.”......."
A Revolutionary People
Among the most complex lessons Egyptians have learned from the momentous events of the past two-and-a-half years is that they are a revolutionary people, writing their own destiny
A GOOD PIECE
By Khaled Fahmy , Monday 15 Jul 2013
Ahram Online
"We were taught in schools that we were a patient and passive people, and for generations we accepted facile sayings about the genius of Egypt, its tranquil landscape, its gentle river and undemanding people. And yet here we are, proving to ourselves that we write our own history and that we can depose our rulers if they do not succumb to our will.
This realisation — the realisation that we shape our own destiny — does not come easily. Like Prometheus who found himself punished by the gods for stealing fire, practicing “people power” has serious consequences. It is therefore imperative to grapple with this realisation specifically by posing the following key questions: Why did we revolt? When will our revolution come to an end? And more specifically: Why did we rise up against a president we chose in an election that was in itself a product of the first phase of our revolution?......
This revolutionary people, who managed to overthrow Mubarak in the first round of its revolution, and to topple the Brotherhood in the second round, must hold the army in check in the third round. In the short-run, we need an independent investigation into the events of the Republican Guard club (and parallel events in Manial, Sidi Gaber and Bein El-Sarayat). In the long run, we need to insist on putting an end to military trials for civilians, subjecting the military budget to parliamentary supervision, and opening the door for having a civilian minister of defence. Only then — that is, only when we hold the army in check and subject it to our will — will this revolutionary people rest and realise that its revolution has achieved its goals."
A GOOD PIECE
By Khaled Fahmy , Monday 15 Jul 2013
Ahram Online
"We were taught in schools that we were a patient and passive people, and for generations we accepted facile sayings about the genius of Egypt, its tranquil landscape, its gentle river and undemanding people. And yet here we are, proving to ourselves that we write our own history and that we can depose our rulers if they do not succumb to our will.
This realisation — the realisation that we shape our own destiny — does not come easily. Like Prometheus who found himself punished by the gods for stealing fire, practicing “people power” has serious consequences. It is therefore imperative to grapple with this realisation specifically by posing the following key questions: Why did we revolt? When will our revolution come to an end? And more specifically: Why did we rise up against a president we chose in an election that was in itself a product of the first phase of our revolution?......
This revolutionary people, who managed to overthrow Mubarak in the first round of its revolution, and to topple the Brotherhood in the second round, must hold the army in check in the third round. In the short-run, we need an independent investigation into the events of the Republican Guard club (and parallel events in Manial, Sidi Gaber and Bein El-Sarayat). In the long run, we need to insist on putting an end to military trials for civilians, subjecting the military budget to parliamentary supervision, and opening the door for having a civilian minister of defence. Only then — that is, only when we hold the army in check and subject it to our will — will this revolutionary people rest and realise that its revolution has achieved its goals."
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Is the Egyptian Revolution Dead?
by Philip Rizk
Jadaliyya
".......The fear is that the forces that maintain hegemony over our society are using every means possible to prevent the further fruition of our revolution. This includes a dirty game of exploiting these recent events by purposefully deepening divisions within Egyptian society to make their rule unavoidable, more violent and even less accountable to the population at large. Since 30 June this has meant an unending stream of bloodshed amongst Brotherhood supporters and civilians either protesting them or caught in the crossfire or within sectarian battles. We are caught in a situation where a population is being held hostage and their death is being incited and capitalized on by almost all political elites vying for power: the military generals, the Brotherhood and the liberals.
Today we are still in the midst of the January 25 Revolution. We face a serious threat of its co-optation but until now the power still lies with the people. In order to fight on we must both remember the past as well as see our immediate situation in light of the global power constellation.
We are not alone.
Despite the different contexts across Brazil, Turkey, and Chile, as in Greece, Spain, Portugal, and the United States, people are taking to the street to stand in the way of the rule of local elites by the logic of the longevity of their power and the increase of a minority’s wealth. Seeing all these revolutionary moments within one frame means that with or without democracy, with or without elections, popular rule is moving to the street and out of institutions and government offices. As Max Weber wrote, representation is a “structure of domination,” and thus we maintain the revolution’s cry, “the people want the fall of the system.”
We are at a global turning point.
We must fight on."
Jadaliyya
".......The fear is that the forces that maintain hegemony over our society are using every means possible to prevent the further fruition of our revolution. This includes a dirty game of exploiting these recent events by purposefully deepening divisions within Egyptian society to make their rule unavoidable, more violent and even less accountable to the population at large. Since 30 June this has meant an unending stream of bloodshed amongst Brotherhood supporters and civilians either protesting them or caught in the crossfire or within sectarian battles. We are caught in a situation where a population is being held hostage and their death is being incited and capitalized on by almost all political elites vying for power: the military generals, the Brotherhood and the liberals.
Today we are still in the midst of the January 25 Revolution. We face a serious threat of its co-optation but until now the power still lies with the people. In order to fight on we must both remember the past as well as see our immediate situation in light of the global power constellation.
We are not alone.
Despite the different contexts across Brazil, Turkey, and Chile, as in Greece, Spain, Portugal, and the United States, people are taking to the street to stand in the way of the rule of local elites by the logic of the longevity of their power and the increase of a minority’s wealth. Seeing all these revolutionary moments within one frame means that with or without democracy, with or without elections, popular rule is moving to the street and out of institutions and government offices. As Max Weber wrote, representation is a “structure of domination,” and thus we maintain the revolution’s cry, “the people want the fall of the system.”
We are at a global turning point.
We must fight on."
Israel PM declines to comment on explosion
Assad Vowed to "Retaliate" at the "Appropriate Time and Place,"........
The Same Empty Threats of the Past 40 Years!
"LATAKIA, Syria, July 14 (UPI) -- Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu declined to comment Sunday on whether Israel was responsible for last week's explosions in Latakia, Syria.
"I am not in the habit of saying what we did do or didn't do," he told CBS' Bob Schieffer on "Face the Nation."
Netanyahu did say that he stands by his policy of preventing the transfer of dangerous weapons to the Hezbollah and other terror groups.
His comments come after an Israeli Dolphin class submarine allegedly attacked a Syrian arms depot at the Latakia port July 5, unnamed sources told Britain's The Sunday Times.
Citing Middle East intelligence sources, the Times reported the alleged Israeli navy strike was closely coordinated with the United States. The aim of the strike was to destroy about 50 Russian-made, Yakhont P-800 anti-ship missiles stored at the base, the newspaper said. The missiles had been shipped to Syria earlier in the year.
The Times report contradicted a CNN report Friday in which unnamed U.S. officials told the American broadcaster Israeli fighter jets bombed the base. The officials told CNN Israel was concerned the Russian-made missiles posed a threat to its naval force......"
The Same Empty Threats of the Past 40 Years!
"LATAKIA, Syria, July 14 (UPI) -- Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu declined to comment Sunday on whether Israel was responsible for last week's explosions in Latakia, Syria.
"I am not in the habit of saying what we did do or didn't do," he told CBS' Bob Schieffer on "Face the Nation."
Netanyahu did say that he stands by his policy of preventing the transfer of dangerous weapons to the Hezbollah and other terror groups.
His comments come after an Israeli Dolphin class submarine allegedly attacked a Syrian arms depot at the Latakia port July 5, unnamed sources told Britain's The Sunday Times.
Citing Middle East intelligence sources, the Times reported the alleged Israeli navy strike was closely coordinated with the United States. The aim of the strike was to destroy about 50 Russian-made, Yakhont P-800 anti-ship missiles stored at the base, the newspaper said. The missiles had been shipped to Syria earlier in the year.
The Times report contradicted a CNN report Friday in which unnamed U.S. officials told the American broadcaster Israeli fighter jets bombed the base. The officials told CNN Israel was concerned the Russian-made missiles posed a threat to its naval force......"
Real News Video: Palestinians in Gaza react to Morsi's ouster, closure of Rafah crossing
The Egyptian army's decision to close the Rafah crossing, Gaza's only terminal to the outside world, and the demolishing of the underground tunnels along the border added more hardships and suffering to Gazans
Real News Video: New Egypt PM & Army Set To Keep Egypt on Neo-Liberal Track
Zeinab Abul Magd: With an Egyptian military that has strong ties to foreign investors and a newly appointed liberal economist PM, Egypt can expect more of the same Mubarak-era economics
فيديو.. إخوان بلا عنف: شباب الإخوان انسحبوا من "رابعة" و"النهضة" إعمالًا للعقل
"أكد حسين عبد الرحمن، المتحدث الإعلامي باسم حركة "إخوان بلا عنف"، أن الكثير من شباب الإخوان والجماعة الإسلامية وحزب الأصالة يأسوا من سياسة قيادات الإخوان الفاشلة التي ستؤدي إلى انهيار الجماعة, وقرروا الانسحاب من ميدان رابعة العدوية وميدان النهضة, مؤكدًا أن البلتاجي يخرج علينا يوميًا ليؤكد أن الشرعية للرئيس مرسي, وأنهم أيضًا يعترفون بذلك ولكن يجب أن ينظروا للوضع بأفق أوسع من ذلك بدلًا من سياسة العناد وليرضخوا للوضع ولخروج الملايين ضدهم. وأضاف عبد الرحمن عبر مداخلة هاتفية مع برنامج صباح أون اليوم أن شباب الإخوان يرغبون دائمًا بتحقيق المصالحة الوطنية والتعاون بين كل القوى السياسية, مضيفًا أنهم كإخوان بلا عنف مستمرون بطلب سحب الثقة من أعضاء مكتب الإرشاد من المرشد العام محمد بديع وسيقومون بالتصعيد حالة الاستمرار في هذه السياسات.
وأكد عبد الرحمن أنهم تواصلوا مع التنظيم الدولي لجماعة الإخوان المسلمين لعمل اجتماع عاجل في الأردن، لمناقشة تلك الوضع خوفًا من انهيار الجماعة.
وأكد عبد الرحمن أنهم تواصلوا مع التنظيم الدولي لجماعة الإخوان المسلمين لعمل اجتماع عاجل في الأردن، لمناقشة تلك الوضع خوفًا من انهيار الجماعة.
"
Aljazeera’s Conspiracy Theory about Obama and Egypt is Brainless Mush
By Juan Cole
"Aljazeera Arabic has long since lost a lot of its previous journalisic standards, once its head, Waddah Khanfar, was fired in favor a member of the royal family. Some 22 Egyptian journalists just resigned from Aljazeera in Cairo in protest against its Fox-News-like biases in reporting on recent events.
Aljazeera English usually still does a good job, having a different editorial line and generally good reporters, often former BBC or ABC reporters.
But their publication of a frankly brain deadop-ed feature article purporting to show US support for anti-Morsi political forces is sheer conspiracy theory and very bad, unbalanced journalism.
All the piece shows is that the US State Department program in ‘democracy assistance’ granted small amounts of funding to … Suprise! democracy activists in Egypt. Many of the instances of such grants that the article mentioned actually occurred in the Hosni Mubarak period, and Mubarak often punished the pro-democracy groups that received such funding.
The article isn’t pro-Morsi, it is pro-Mubarak.
We’ve known about this funding for years – it is all over wikileaks, and there are indications sometimes Brotherhood- linked groups were considered for it.
And if it weren’t for US mutual relations with youth groups like April 6, the 2011 revolution might have been opposed by Washington and Morsi would never have escaped Mubarak’s prison at Wadi Natroun in the first place.
The author commits the logical fallacy of suggesting that since the US assisted some of the groups that later called for Morsi’s overthrow, Washington funded Morsi’s overthrow.
The logical fallacy involved is post hoc ergo propter hoc. What comes after something isn’t necessary caused by that something. That the US gave a little money to these groups is not proved to be connected in any way to their favorable view of Morsi’s overthrow, where they have one.
Europe also gave some funding for democracy promotion.
Egypt’s elite, including both the army and the Muslim Brotherhood, is so xenophobic (i.e. hates foreigners) and so conspiracy-minded that they even passed a law against perfectly innocent foreign funding of non-governmental organizations and jailed people about it. Saad Eddin Ibrahim of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Human Rights got this treatment from Mubarak and went to jail on similar pretexts.
The author admits he doesn’t know about NED funding for 2011 to present, i.e. has no proof of anti-Morsi funding from that quarter at all.
Morsi was overthrown by the Rebellion or Tamarrud Movement, which was founded in late April by networked youth who had nothing to do with the United States.
US Ambassador Anne Patterson called on Rebellion to cancel their planned June 30 demonstration, and was denounced by the youth activists as pro-Muslim Brotherhood. The Obama administration lobbied Gen. al-Sisi not to make a coup, and argued for Morsi’s democratic legitimacy.
This article is muddled mush, and will be cited by the equally brainless as proof of something. It isn’t."
"Aljazeera Arabic has long since lost a lot of its previous journalisic standards, once its head, Waddah Khanfar, was fired in favor a member of the royal family. Some 22 Egyptian journalists just resigned from Aljazeera in Cairo in protest against its Fox-News-like biases in reporting on recent events.
Aljazeera English usually still does a good job, having a different editorial line and generally good reporters, often former BBC or ABC reporters.
But their publication of a frankly brain dead
All the piece shows is that the US State Department program in ‘democracy assistance’ granted small amounts of funding to … Suprise! democracy activists in Egypt. Many of the instances of such grants that the article mentioned actually occurred in the Hosni Mubarak period, and Mubarak often punished the pro-democracy groups that received such funding.
The article isn’t pro-Morsi, it is pro-Mubarak.
We’ve known about this funding for years – it is all over wikileaks, and there are indications sometimes Brotherhood- linked groups were considered for it.
And if it weren’t for US mutual relations with youth groups like April 6, the 2011 revolution might have been opposed by Washington and Morsi would never have escaped Mubarak’s prison at Wadi Natroun in the first place.
The author commits the logical fallacy of suggesting that since the US assisted some of the groups that later called for Morsi’s overthrow, Washington funded Morsi’s overthrow.
The logical fallacy involved is post hoc ergo propter hoc. What comes after something isn’t necessary caused by that something. That the US gave a little money to these groups is not proved to be connected in any way to their favorable view of Morsi’s overthrow, where they have one.
Europe also gave some funding for democracy promotion.
Egypt’s elite, including both the army and the Muslim Brotherhood, is so xenophobic (i.e. hates foreigners) and so conspiracy-minded that they even passed a law against perfectly innocent foreign funding of non-governmental organizations and jailed people about it. Saad Eddin Ibrahim of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Human Rights got this treatment from Mubarak and went to jail on similar pretexts.
The author admits he doesn’t know about NED funding for 2011 to present, i.e. has no proof of anti-Morsi funding from that quarter at all.
Morsi was overthrown by the Rebellion or Tamarrud Movement, which was founded in late April by networked youth who had nothing to do with the United States.
US Ambassador Anne Patterson called on Rebellion to cancel their planned June 30 demonstration, and was denounced by the youth activists as pro-Muslim Brotherhood. The Obama administration lobbied Gen. al-Sisi not to make a coup, and argued for Morsi’s democratic legitimacy.
This article is muddled mush, and will be cited by the equally brainless as proof of something. It isn’t."
Israel targeted Russian-made missiles in Syria, US officials say. The Rabbit retaliated by......bombing Damascus, Homs, Aleppo,......
Reports suggest Israel attacked anti-ship cruise missiles sent to Assad regime near the port of Latakia
The Rabbit retaliated by......bombing Damascus, Homs, Aleppo,......
guardian.co.uk,
The officials provided no details on the strike, including the extent of the damage and how many missiles were used. The Times reported that the officials declined to be identified because they were discussing intelligence reports.
Israel maintains it is not involved in Syria's two-year-old civil war except to stop weapons transfers. The strike near Latakia was the fourth known air strike in Syria by Israel this year, the newspaper reported.
The attack came to light after Syrian rebels said they were not behind the explosions in Latakia on 5 July, according to the Times. Neither US nor Israeli officials have commented publicly on the report.
Reports surfaced earlier this year that Russia had delivered an advanced version of its Yakhont anti-ship cruise missile to Assad's regime even though Russia had said it was committed to peace talks. Those reports prompted the US to complain in May about an "ill-timed" step by Russia.
Such weapons would help to upgrade significantly Syria's capacity to target manned planes, drones and incoming missiles and would complicate efforts to enforce a no-fly zone over Syria if the US and other nations were to initiate one."
The Rabbit retaliated by......bombing Damascus, Homs, Aleppo,......
US officials say Israel targeted advanced anti-ship cruise missiles near Syria's principal port city, Latakia, in an air attack this month, the New York Times reported.
The officials say the attack on 5 July near Latakia targeted a type of Russian-made missile called the Yakhont that Russia had sold to the Syrian government, the paper's website reported. Russia is a key political ally and arms supplier of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's regime.The officials provided no details on the strike, including the extent of the damage and how many missiles were used. The Times reported that the officials declined to be identified because they were discussing intelligence reports.
Israel maintains it is not involved in Syria's two-year-old civil war except to stop weapons transfers. The strike near Latakia was the fourth known air strike in Syria by Israel this year, the newspaper reported.
The attack came to light after Syrian rebels said they were not behind the explosions in Latakia on 5 July, according to the Times. Neither US nor Israeli officials have commented publicly on the report.
Reports surfaced earlier this year that Russia had delivered an advanced version of its Yakhont anti-ship cruise missile to Assad's regime even though Russia had said it was committed to peace talks. Those reports prompted the US to complain in May about an "ill-timed" step by Russia.
Such weapons would help to upgrade significantly Syria's capacity to target manned planes, drones and incoming missiles and would complicate efforts to enforce a no-fly zone over Syria if the US and other nations were to initiate one."
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