Thursday, June 2, 2011
The Tie that Binds
by Philip Giraldi, June 02, 2011
"The recent visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a personal triumph for him and a disaster for the United States. Since the 1960s, if not before, Israel has sought to bind the United States to her by maintaining that the two countries have identical interests worldwide. In reality, this has never been true, even during the cold war when the Soviets were actively engaged in a number of Arab states, but it is a lie that has been assiduously promoted by Israel’s friends in Washington. The false narrative has been used to justify extraordinary levels of taxpayer-provided aid to Israel as well as unlimited political cover in international organizations like the United Nations, where the US Security Council veto has been regularly deployed to negate possible consequences whenever Israel attacks one of its neighbors.....
So what does it all mean? It means that the Obama Administration has no leverage whatsoever against Netanyahu. It has de facto accepted that there will be no peace process in the Middle East because Israel does not want there to be one. It means that the United States will use its veto at the UN as well as other forms of suasion internationally to make sure that Israel is neither criticized nor isolated, no matter what Netanyahu and his colleagues do. It means that largesse from the US taxpayer will continue, with plans afoot to budget the money out of the annual Pentagon appropriation so it will untouchable in any future debate over foreign aid packages. It also means that the United States is part and parcel to the ongoing system of apartheid practiced by the Israelis. To further punish the Palestinians there is even considerable talk in Congress about cutting US aid in response to the formation of a unity government between Fatah and Hamas....."
"The recent visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a personal triumph for him and a disaster for the United States. Since the 1960s, if not before, Israel has sought to bind the United States to her by maintaining that the two countries have identical interests worldwide. In reality, this has never been true, even during the cold war when the Soviets were actively engaged in a number of Arab states, but it is a lie that has been assiduously promoted by Israel’s friends in Washington. The false narrative has been used to justify extraordinary levels of taxpayer-provided aid to Israel as well as unlimited political cover in international organizations like the United Nations, where the US Security Council veto has been regularly deployed to negate possible consequences whenever Israel attacks one of its neighbors.....
So what does it all mean? It means that the Obama Administration has no leverage whatsoever against Netanyahu. It has de facto accepted that there will be no peace process in the Middle East because Israel does not want there to be one. It means that the United States will use its veto at the UN as well as other forms of suasion internationally to make sure that Israel is neither criticized nor isolated, no matter what Netanyahu and his colleagues do. It means that largesse from the US taxpayer will continue, with plans afoot to budget the money out of the annual Pentagon appropriation so it will untouchable in any future debate over foreign aid packages. It also means that the United States is part and parcel to the ongoing system of apartheid practiced by the Israelis. To further punish the Palestinians there is even considerable talk in Congress about cutting US aid in response to the formation of a unity government between Fatah and Hamas....."
Real News Video: Saudi Arabia and Western Hypocrisy
Madawi Al-Rasheed: Washington is calling the worst repression in the Arab world "evolving reform"
The Spanish are having their own Arab Spring
By Adrian Hamilton
The Independent
"....But this is not a repeat of traditional union-led, left-wing organised demonstrations against government of the sort we have seen so often in the past. Far from it. The peculiarity of European politics at the moment is that the revolt against cuts is directed against anyone in power to the benefit of the party in opposition.....
The Spanish protests, in contrast, are not a left-right affair. Rather, like the Arab movements, they are demonstrating against the whole system and the major parties held to be part of it. The means of organisation through social networks is the same as in the Arab uprising. The occupation of public places and the establishment of committees to handle food and rubbish draws on the North African example.
Some of the causes are also the same. Spain now has the highest rate of unemployment in the EU, with a youth unemployment of 45 per cent which is pretty close to the rates experienced through much of the Middle East.
Corruption is held to be widespread, with over 100 candidates in the local election being accused of it. The banking crisis has exposed– as in Ireland – a system in which financiers, developers and politicians hug each other all too closely......
To claim that we in the West should congratulate ourselves on an Arab Spring which looks to us as its example is just to misunderstand its nature and our response. The protesters in the Arab squares are demonstrating against an autocracy and corruption which have become insufferable. The demonstrators in Spain are saying the same about their democratic structures......
The Independent
"....But this is not a repeat of traditional union-led, left-wing organised demonstrations against government of the sort we have seen so often in the past. Far from it. The peculiarity of European politics at the moment is that the revolt against cuts is directed against anyone in power to the benefit of the party in opposition.....
The Spanish protests, in contrast, are not a left-right affair. Rather, like the Arab movements, they are demonstrating against the whole system and the major parties held to be part of it. The means of organisation through social networks is the same as in the Arab uprising. The occupation of public places and the establishment of committees to handle food and rubbish draws on the North African example.
Some of the causes are also the same. Spain now has the highest rate of unemployment in the EU, with a youth unemployment of 45 per cent which is pretty close to the rates experienced through much of the Middle East.
Corruption is held to be widespread, with over 100 candidates in the local election being accused of it. The banking crisis has exposed– as in Ireland – a system in which financiers, developers and politicians hug each other all too closely......
To claim that we in the West should congratulate ourselves on an Arab Spring which looks to us as its example is just to misunderstand its nature and our response. The protesters in the Arab squares are demonstrating against an autocracy and corruption which have become insufferable. The demonstrators in Spain are saying the same about their democratic structures......
Far from it being a moment for self-congratulation, the Arab Spring should be causing us to look at ourselves and see what lessons it has for us....."
The secret life of Arabia
A VERY GOOD PIECE
By Pepe Escobar
Asia Times
"What lurks in the shadows as the Arab Spring turns into the Arab Summer tells us more about what's to come. Qatar is maneuvering its soft power towards Syria, where the repression machine has turned its guns on youths and the urban bourgeoisie has yet to make a move. Egypt may boil over too as the Saudis turn up the heat, the Wahhabi way....
As far as Washington and selected European capitals are concerned, "stability" prevails; as in Israel and Saudi Arabia, as pillars, now that Egypt has wobbled; and the oil-drenched Gulf Counter-Revolutionary Club, also known as Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC), is solid as Himalayan rock. No revisionism allowed. "Democracy", yes - as long as it is not a threat to "Western interests".
And yet what lurks in the shadows tells us more about what's to come. Call it the secret life of Arabia.....
And this while the number of Syrians killed by President Bashar al-Assad's repression machine has now surpassed the number of Egyptians killed by Hosni Mubarak's repression machine. By the body count law that draws the difference between "rogue" regimes and "our" bastards, Assad should be ready for the guillotine. The problem is the Anglo-French-American consortium has not found an "acceptable" alternative to Assad (there isn't any); thus the bland sanctions, and the benefit of the doubt.....
(Sheikh Tantawi: Photo courtesy of Hossam El-Hamalawy)
The House of Saud has its hands full with Egypt as well - now that the Egyptian Military Council has been handed a cool $4 billion by Riyadh. It's enlightening to know that Field Marshall Tantawi - the current, "transitional" strongman in Cairo - was the Egyptian Defense Attache in Pakistan during the Afghan jihad of the 1980s.
So Tantawi is an ISI darling, as well as a Saudi Prince Bandar darling. With Tantawi as a House of Saud Trojan Horse, his bet for Egypt is much more Muslim Brotherhood than secular Tahrir Square.
That happens to square off beautifully with Washington's own (not so secret) burning desire: a Pakistani model for Egypt, with the army in the background and a facade civilian government run by Islamic parties who won in the ballot box. But this mildly Islamic regime would only be acceptable if it were to kowtow to neo-liberalism and the Camp David accords with Israel.
The House of Saud subscribes to this project for a very simple reason. The House of Saud knows its supposed hegemony in the Arab world only holds as long as Egypt is kept politically insignificant. And the way to accomplish this is via an islamicization - the Wahhabi way - of the state and politics as a whole. Tahrir Square, hopefully, will fight it to death. At least there may be a few reasons to expect not such a bleak, upcoming Arab Summer."
By Pepe Escobar
Asia Times
"What lurks in the shadows as the Arab Spring turns into the Arab Summer tells us more about what's to come. Qatar is maneuvering its soft power towards Syria, where the repression machine has turned its guns on youths and the urban bourgeoisie has yet to make a move. Egypt may boil over too as the Saudis turn up the heat, the Wahhabi way....
As far as Washington and selected European capitals are concerned, "stability" prevails; as in Israel and Saudi Arabia, as pillars, now that Egypt has wobbled; and the oil-drenched Gulf Counter-Revolutionary Club, also known as Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC), is solid as Himalayan rock. No revisionism allowed. "Democracy", yes - as long as it is not a threat to "Western interests".
And yet what lurks in the shadows tells us more about what's to come. Call it the secret life of Arabia.....
And this while the number of Syrians killed by President Bashar al-Assad's repression machine has now surpassed the number of Egyptians killed by Hosni Mubarak's repression machine. By the body count law that draws the difference between "rogue" regimes and "our" bastards, Assad should be ready for the guillotine. The problem is the Anglo-French-American consortium has not found an "acceptable" alternative to Assad (there isn't any); thus the bland sanctions, and the benefit of the doubt.....
(Sheikh Tantawi: Photo courtesy of Hossam El-Hamalawy)The House of Saud has its hands full with Egypt as well - now that the Egyptian Military Council has been handed a cool $4 billion by Riyadh. It's enlightening to know that Field Marshall Tantawi - the current, "transitional" strongman in Cairo - was the Egyptian Defense Attache in Pakistan during the Afghan jihad of the 1980s.
So Tantawi is an ISI darling, as well as a Saudi Prince Bandar darling. With Tantawi as a House of Saud Trojan Horse, his bet for Egypt is much more Muslim Brotherhood than secular Tahrir Square.
That happens to square off beautifully with Washington's own (not so secret) burning desire: a Pakistani model for Egypt, with the army in the background and a facade civilian government run by Islamic parties who won in the ballot box. But this mildly Islamic regime would only be acceptable if it were to kowtow to neo-liberalism and the Camp David accords with Israel.
The House of Saud subscribes to this project for a very simple reason. The House of Saud knows its supposed hegemony in the Arab world only holds as long as Egypt is kept politically insignificant. And the way to accomplish this is via an islamicization - the Wahhabi way - of the state and politics as a whole. Tahrir Square, hopefully, will fight it to death. At least there may be a few reasons to expect not such a bleak, upcoming Arab Summer."
A UN Secretary General vs Freedom Flotilla 2
Humanitarian ships to sail to Gaza again, despite current UN disapproval and a previous attempt that turned deadly.
A GOOD PIECE
By Richard Falk
Al-Jazeera
"It is expected that at the end of June, Freedom Flotilla 2 will set sail for Gaza, carrying various forms of humanitarian aid, including medical, school, and construction materials. This second flotilla will consist of 15 ships - including the Mavi Marmara from the first flotilla - sailing from Istanbul, but also vessels departing from several European countries, and carrying as many as 1,500 humanitarian activists as passengers. If these plans are carried out, as seems likely, it means that the second flotilla is about double the size of the first that was so violently intercepted by Israeli commandos in international waters on May 31, 2010, resulting in nine deaths on the Turkish lead ship......
Secretary General: No Flotilla
As the Greek coordinator of Freedom Flotilla 2, Vangelis Pisias has expressed the motivation of this new effort to break the blockade: "We will not allow Israel to set up open prisons and concentration camps." Connecting this Gazan ordeal to the wider regional struggles, Pisias added, "Palestine is in our heart and could be the symbol of a new era in the region.".....
In light of these surrounding circumstances, including the failure of Israel to live up to its announced promise after the attack in 2010 to lift the blockade, it shocks our moral and legal sensibilities that the UN Secretary General should be using the authority of his office to persuade member governments to do their best to prevent ships from joining Freedom Flotilla 2. Ban Ki-moon shamelessly does not even balance such a call, purportedly to prevent the recurrence of violence, by at least sending an equivalent message to Israel insisting that the blockade end and that no force be used in relation to humanitarian initiatives of the sort being planned.
Instead of protecting those who would act on behalf of unlawful Palestinian victimisation, the UN Secretary General disgraces the office by taking a one-sided stand in support of one of the most flagrant and long lasting instances of injustice that has been allowed to persist in the world. True, his spokesperson tries to soften the impact of such a message by vacuously stating that "the situation in the Gaza Strip must be changed, and Israel must conduct real measures to end the siege." We must ask why were these thoughts not express by the Secretary General himself and directly to Israel? Public relations is part of his job, but it is not a cover for crassly taking the wrong side in the controversy over whether or not Freedom Flotilla 2 is a legitimate humanitarian initiative freely undertaken by civil society without the slightest credible threat to Israeli security.
Appropriately, and not unexpectedly, the Turkish Government refuses to bow to such abusive pressures even when backed by the UN at its highest level......
Liberating Palestine: Arab Spring's second stage
.....Liberating Palestine from occupation and refugee regimes should be a core, unifying priority of this second stage of the Arab Spring. Nothing could do more to manifest the external as well as the internal turn to democracy, constitutional governance, and human rights than displays of solidarity by new and newly reformist leaders in Arab countries with this unendurably long Palestinian struggle for justice and sustainable peace. It would also offer the world a contrast with the subservience to Israel recently on display in Washington, highlighted by inviting Binyamin Netanyahu to address an adoring US Congress, a rarity in the country's treatment of foreign leaders paralleling the pandering speech given by president Obama to AIPAC....."
A GOOD PIECE
By Richard Falk
Al-Jazeera
"It is expected that at the end of June, Freedom Flotilla 2 will set sail for Gaza, carrying various forms of humanitarian aid, including medical, school, and construction materials. This second flotilla will consist of 15 ships - including the Mavi Marmara from the first flotilla - sailing from Istanbul, but also vessels departing from several European countries, and carrying as many as 1,500 humanitarian activists as passengers. If these plans are carried out, as seems likely, it means that the second flotilla is about double the size of the first that was so violently intercepted by Israeli commandos in international waters on May 31, 2010, resulting in nine deaths on the Turkish lead ship......
Secretary General: No Flotilla
As the Greek coordinator of Freedom Flotilla 2, Vangelis Pisias has expressed the motivation of this new effort to break the blockade: "We will not allow Israel to set up open prisons and concentration camps." Connecting this Gazan ordeal to the wider regional struggles, Pisias added, "Palestine is in our heart and could be the symbol of a new era in the region.".....
In light of these surrounding circumstances, including the failure of Israel to live up to its announced promise after the attack in 2010 to lift the blockade, it shocks our moral and legal sensibilities that the UN Secretary General should be using the authority of his office to persuade member governments to do their best to prevent ships from joining Freedom Flotilla 2. Ban Ki-moon shamelessly does not even balance such a call, purportedly to prevent the recurrence of violence, by at least sending an equivalent message to Israel insisting that the blockade end and that no force be used in relation to humanitarian initiatives of the sort being planned.
Instead of protecting those who would act on behalf of unlawful Palestinian victimisation, the UN Secretary General disgraces the office by taking a one-sided stand in support of one of the most flagrant and long lasting instances of injustice that has been allowed to persist in the world. True, his spokesperson tries to soften the impact of such a message by vacuously stating that "the situation in the Gaza Strip must be changed, and Israel must conduct real measures to end the siege." We must ask why were these thoughts not express by the Secretary General himself and directly to Israel? Public relations is part of his job, but it is not a cover for crassly taking the wrong side in the controversy over whether or not Freedom Flotilla 2 is a legitimate humanitarian initiative freely undertaken by civil society without the slightest credible threat to Israeli security.
Appropriately, and not unexpectedly, the Turkish Government refuses to bow to such abusive pressures even when backed by the UN at its highest level......
Liberating Palestine: Arab Spring's second stage
.....Liberating Palestine from occupation and refugee regimes should be a core, unifying priority of this second stage of the Arab Spring. Nothing could do more to manifest the external as well as the internal turn to democracy, constitutional governance, and human rights than displays of solidarity by new and newly reformist leaders in Arab countries with this unendurably long Palestinian struggle for justice and sustainable peace. It would also offer the world a contrast with the subservience to Israel recently on display in Washington, highlighted by inviting Binyamin Netanyahu to address an adoring US Congress, a rarity in the country's treatment of foreign leaders paralleling the pandering speech given by president Obama to AIPAC....."
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Hamza Story
From my cousin
Hello guys: I went two days ago (on Monday) to Hamza's home and heard the entire story from his father. The martyr went on the Friday 29th to break the siege on dar3a the father (65 year) said: " he wore wonderful clothes... he looked amazing and he took some stuff to dar3a nd went with the rest of the families.. I heard the shooting later on and so then the dead and injured people.. I asked about him the people told me he was wounded and arrested.. he was taken by the bus.. we asked about him everywhere and nobody had an answer.. until somebody called his cousin who is his his teacher too, to say that there is a body for a kid in the morgue in Dar3a, the cousin went there and after staring in the body for 45 minutes he could be sure that this was 7amze (I don't know how the Dunia TV recognized him immediately when they have no names) the doctor checked the body and wrote his report (the report is genuine) the doctor tried to find his penis inside the body coz he did not believe his eyes!! the body was then taken and buried and the police called the father and asked him to make an interview with the Syrian TV and he did but saying the entire story as it happened but they did not broadcast it!! the mother has now a nerval breakdown and I could not see her
Locked up for reading a poem
Ayat al-Gormezi, the woman who symbolises Bahrain's fight for freedom
By Patrick Cockburn
Thursday, 2 June 2011
"Bahrain's security forces are increasingly targeting women in their campaign against pro-democracy protesters despite yesterday lifting martial law in the island kingdom.
Ayat al-Gormezi, 20, a poet and student arrested two months ago after reading out a poem at a pro-democracy rally, is due to go on trial today before a military tribunal, her mother said. Ayat was forced to turn herself in when masked policemen threatened to kill her brothers unless she did so.
She has not been seen since her arrest, though her mother did talk to her once by phone and Ayat said that she had been forced to sign a false confession. Her mother has since been told that her daughter has been in a military hospital after being tortured.......
Ayat's call for change was no more radical than that heard in the streets of Tunis, Cairo and Benghazi at about the same time. But her reference to the king might explain the fury shown by the Bahraini security forces who, going by photographs of the scene, smashed up her bedroom when they raided her house and could not find her.
There are signs that Bahraini police, riot police and special security are detaining and mistreating more and more women. Many are held incommunicado, forced to sign confessions or threatened with rape, according to Bahraini human rights groups.
Bahrain is the first country affected by the Arab Spring where women have been singled out as targets for repression. Human rights groups say that hundreds have been arrested. Many women complain of being severely beaten while in custody. One woman journalist was beaten so badly that she could not walk.
A woman doctor, who was later released but may be charged, says she was threatened with rape. She told Reuters news agency that the police said: "We are 14 guys in this room, do you know what we can do to you? It's the emergency law [martial law] and we are free to do what we want.".....
Despite the lifting of martial law, imposed on 15 March, there is no sign of repression easing. Some 600 people are still detained, at least 2,000 have been sacked, and some 27 mosques of the Shia, who make up 70 per cent of the population, have been bulldozed.....
The targeting of women by the security forces may, like the destruction of mosques, have the broader aim of demonstrating to the Shia community that the Sunni elite will show no restraint in preventing the Shia winning political power. Shia leaders complain that the state-controlled media is continuing to pump out sectarian anti-Shia propaganda....."
By Patrick Cockburn
Thursday, 2 June 2011
"Bahrain's security forces are increasingly targeting women in their campaign against pro-democracy protesters despite yesterday lifting martial law in the island kingdom.
Ayat al-Gormezi, 20, a poet and student arrested two months ago after reading out a poem at a pro-democracy rally, is due to go on trial today before a military tribunal, her mother said. Ayat was forced to turn herself in when masked policemen threatened to kill her brothers unless she did so.
She has not been seen since her arrest, though her mother did talk to her once by phone and Ayat said that she had been forced to sign a false confession. Her mother has since been told that her daughter has been in a military hospital after being tortured.......
Ayat's call for change was no more radical than that heard in the streets of Tunis, Cairo and Benghazi at about the same time. But her reference to the king might explain the fury shown by the Bahraini security forces who, going by photographs of the scene, smashed up her bedroom when they raided her house and could not find her.
There are signs that Bahraini police, riot police and special security are detaining and mistreating more and more women. Many are held incommunicado, forced to sign confessions or threatened with rape, according to Bahraini human rights groups.
Bahrain is the first country affected by the Arab Spring where women have been singled out as targets for repression. Human rights groups say that hundreds have been arrested. Many women complain of being severely beaten while in custody. One woman journalist was beaten so badly that she could not walk.
A woman doctor, who was later released but may be charged, says she was threatened with rape. She told Reuters news agency that the police said: "We are 14 guys in this room, do you know what we can do to you? It's the emergency law [martial law] and we are free to do what we want.".....
Despite the lifting of martial law, imposed on 15 March, there is no sign of repression easing. Some 600 people are still detained, at least 2,000 have been sacked, and some 27 mosques of the Shia, who make up 70 per cent of the population, have been bulldozed.....
The targeting of women by the security forces may, like the destruction of mosques, have the broader aim of demonstrating to the Shia community that the Sunni elite will show no restraint in preventing the Shia winning political power. Shia leaders complain that the state-controlled media is continuing to pump out sectarian anti-Shia propaganda....."
Syria: Truth will out
President should let foreign press in to hear the Syrian people speak for themselves
Editorial
The Guardian, Thursday 2 June 2011
"Every revolution has its face. In Iran, it was Neda Soltani, who was shot in the chest during a demonstration. In Tunisia, it was a fruit seller called Mohammed Bouazizi who set himself on fire. In Egypt, it was Khaled Said, who was beaten to death after posting online a video showing police officers sharing the spoils of a drug haul. And in Syria it has now become Hamza al-Khatib.....
We do not know the circumstances of his horrific death. But we do know more about the systematic killings and torture by Syrian security forces as they attempt to suppress demonstrations in the city of Deraa where the revolt started. Human Rights Watch has done an invaluable service in attempting to document such crimes as the attack on the al-Omari mosque, ambushes of unarmed demonstrators or the blockades in which they attempted to starve communities into submission. But this report should only be the start. At least 418 people have been killed in the Deraa governorate alone.....
...Bashar is proving to be his father's true son. As that crackdown continues into its third month, pressure is growing at the UN to hold Assad and key members of the security apparatus accountable for crimes against humanity. Syrian dissidents meeting in Turkey had no desire to form a government-in-exile or a transitional council, as Damascus had feared. They are pushing instead for a UN security council resolution, similar to the one passed on Libya, which would allow an investigation by the international criminal court.
For a president who put so much effort into burnishing his image as a reformer in western eyes, a solution lies at hand: let the foreign press in. Let the Syrian people speak for themselves about the conflict in their midst. What could a popular leader possibly have to fear?"
Editorial
The Guardian, Thursday 2 June 2011
"Every revolution has its face. In Iran, it was Neda Soltani, who was shot in the chest during a demonstration. In Tunisia, it was a fruit seller called Mohammed Bouazizi who set himself on fire. In Egypt, it was Khaled Said, who was beaten to death after posting online a video showing police officers sharing the spoils of a drug haul. And in Syria it has now become Hamza al-Khatib.....
We do not know the circumstances of his horrific death. But we do know more about the systematic killings and torture by Syrian security forces as they attempt to suppress demonstrations in the city of Deraa where the revolt started. Human Rights Watch has done an invaluable service in attempting to document such crimes as the attack on the al-Omari mosque, ambushes of unarmed demonstrators or the blockades in which they attempted to starve communities into submission. But this report should only be the start. At least 418 people have been killed in the Deraa governorate alone.....
...Bashar is proving to be his father's true son. As that crackdown continues into its third month, pressure is growing at the UN to hold Assad and key members of the security apparatus accountable for crimes against humanity. Syrian dissidents meeting in Turkey had no desire to form a government-in-exile or a transitional council, as Damascus had feared. They are pushing instead for a UN security council resolution, similar to the one passed on Libya, which would allow an investigation by the international criminal court.
For a president who put so much effort into burnishing his image as a reformer in western eyes, a solution lies at hand: let the foreign press in. Let the Syrian people speak for themselves about the conflict in their midst. What could a popular leader possibly have to fear?"
Hamas blames Egypt for limiting passage from Gaza
Al-Masry Al-Youm
"Gaza--Gaza's Hamas rulers said on Wednesday that Egypt was limiting the number of people allowed to enter from Gaza, undermining a move announced last week to ease the blockade of the enclave imposed by Israel....."
The celebrations lasted until Tantawi got the orders from Israel to restore the status quo!
I have no trust, whatsoever, in that Supreme Military Council. It still gets paid by USrael; what do you expect?
حكومة حماس تهدد بـ 'خطوات احتجاجية' وتنفي نيتها إغلاق أنفاق التهريب
أزمة العمل في معبر رفح تعود من جديد: فلسطينيون يتهمون السلطات المصرية بفرض قيود على السفر
"غزة ـ 'القدس العربي' ـ من أشرف الهور: عادت الخلافات بشأن تشغيل معبر رفح البري بين الحكومة المقالة التي تديرها حركة حماس والسلطات المصرية إلى الواجهة من جديد، بعد أن اتهمت الأولى الأخيرة بالتراجع عن تطبيق التسهيلات المقدمة للمسافرين الغزيين والتي بدأ تنفيذها مطلع الأسبوع الجاري.
وأعلنت سلطة المعابر في قطاع غزة مساء امس الأربعاء، عن اتصالات مع الجانب المصري لاحتواء أزمة معبر رفح البري الواقع بين القطاع ومصر، في وقت أعادت فيه السلطات المصرية حافلتين من أصل ثماني حافلات.
وقال مدير المعابر في غزة سلامة بركة 'هناك اتصالات مع الجانب المصري لاحتواء أزمة معبر رفح البري الذي أعلنت القاهرة فتحه مؤخراً بشكل دائم'.
وأضاف 'تواصلنا اليوم (امس) مع الجانب المصري لاحتواء أزمة المعبر نتيجة للتراجع الذي جرى في العمل'، موضحا انه كان من المفترض مغادرة 8 حافلات للمعبر، واصفا العمل بالبطيء، ومعتبرا هذا الإجراء بأنه 'غير مبرر'.
وقال مصدر في معبر رفح، إن السلطات المصرية أرجعت حافلتين، وسمحت بعبور ست حافلات بما يعادل 360 مسافرا عبر معبر رفح البري جنوب قطاع غزة. وأضاف المصدر أن العمل سار ببطء شديد، بخلاف اليوم الأول الذي فتح فيه المعبر وفق الآلية الجديدة.
وقال مسؤول في سلطة المعابر بغزة لـ'القدس العربي' انهم أبلغوا الجانب المصري رفضهم لطريقة العمل الجديدة، وسط تهديدات بإغلاق المعبر احتجاجاً على الإجراءات المتبعة.
وتفيد المعلومات التي أوردها مسؤولون في معبر رفح البري من الجانب الفلسطيني بأن السلطات المصرية على معبر رفح بدأت في التراجع عن التسهيلات التي شرعت في تطبيقها السبت الماضي لسكان غزة، من خلال مطالبتها بتحديد عدد للمسافرين، على أن يقوم الجانب الفلسطيني بتسليم كشف بأسمائهم قبل يوم من موعد السفر.
كذلك تفيد المعلومات أن الجانب المصري اشترط عدم الاعتراض على أي مسافر يمنع من السفر. وقال بشير أبو النجا نائب مدير سلطة المعابر في غزة لـ'القدس العربي' انهم أبلغوا الجانب المصري خلال اجتماع عقد مساء الثلاثاء رفضهم لهذه الإجراءات التي قال انها 'لا تتماشى مع قرار المجلس العسكري الحاكم في مصر، الذي أصدر قرارا بفتح المعبر دون قيود'، نافياً ما أشيع حول قبولهم بمطالب الجانب المصري
....."
"Gaza--Gaza's Hamas rulers said on Wednesday that Egypt was limiting the number of people allowed to enter from Gaza, undermining a move announced last week to ease the blockade of the enclave imposed by Israel....."
The celebrations lasted until Tantawi got the orders from Israel to restore the status quo!
I have no trust, whatsoever, in that Supreme Military Council. It still gets paid by USrael; what do you expect?
حكومة حماس تهدد بـ 'خطوات احتجاجية' وتنفي نيتها إغلاق أنفاق التهريب
أزمة العمل في معبر رفح تعود من جديد: فلسطينيون يتهمون السلطات المصرية بفرض قيود على السفر
"غزة ـ 'القدس العربي' ـ من أشرف الهور: عادت الخلافات بشأن تشغيل معبر رفح البري بين الحكومة المقالة التي تديرها حركة حماس والسلطات المصرية إلى الواجهة من جديد، بعد أن اتهمت الأولى الأخيرة بالتراجع عن تطبيق التسهيلات المقدمة للمسافرين الغزيين والتي بدأ تنفيذها مطلع الأسبوع الجاري.
وأعلنت سلطة المعابر في قطاع غزة مساء امس الأربعاء، عن اتصالات مع الجانب المصري لاحتواء أزمة معبر رفح البري الواقع بين القطاع ومصر، في وقت أعادت فيه السلطات المصرية حافلتين من أصل ثماني حافلات.
وقال مدير المعابر في غزة سلامة بركة 'هناك اتصالات مع الجانب المصري لاحتواء أزمة معبر رفح البري الذي أعلنت القاهرة فتحه مؤخراً بشكل دائم'.
وأضاف 'تواصلنا اليوم (امس) مع الجانب المصري لاحتواء أزمة المعبر نتيجة للتراجع الذي جرى في العمل'، موضحا انه كان من المفترض مغادرة 8 حافلات للمعبر، واصفا العمل بالبطيء، ومعتبرا هذا الإجراء بأنه 'غير مبرر'.
وقال مصدر في معبر رفح، إن السلطات المصرية أرجعت حافلتين، وسمحت بعبور ست حافلات بما يعادل 360 مسافرا عبر معبر رفح البري جنوب قطاع غزة. وأضاف المصدر أن العمل سار ببطء شديد، بخلاف اليوم الأول الذي فتح فيه المعبر وفق الآلية الجديدة.
وقال مسؤول في سلطة المعابر بغزة لـ'القدس العربي' انهم أبلغوا الجانب المصري رفضهم لطريقة العمل الجديدة، وسط تهديدات بإغلاق المعبر احتجاجاً على الإجراءات المتبعة.
وتفيد المعلومات التي أوردها مسؤولون في معبر رفح البري من الجانب الفلسطيني بأن السلطات المصرية على معبر رفح بدأت في التراجع عن التسهيلات التي شرعت في تطبيقها السبت الماضي لسكان غزة، من خلال مطالبتها بتحديد عدد للمسافرين، على أن يقوم الجانب الفلسطيني بتسليم كشف بأسمائهم قبل يوم من موعد السفر.
كذلك تفيد المعلومات أن الجانب المصري اشترط عدم الاعتراض على أي مسافر يمنع من السفر. وقال بشير أبو النجا نائب مدير سلطة المعابر في غزة لـ'القدس العربي' انهم أبلغوا الجانب المصري خلال اجتماع عقد مساء الثلاثاء رفضهم لهذه الإجراءات التي قال انها 'لا تتماشى مع قرار المجلس العسكري الحاكم في مصر، الذي أصدر قرارا بفتح المعبر دون قيود'، نافياً ما أشيع حول قبولهم بمطالب الجانب المصري
....."
Yemen crisis deepens as dozens are killed in street battles
Foreign Office urges all Britons to leave at once with diplomats describing the situation as 'worse than Libya'
Tom Finn in Sana'a and Ian Black
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 1 June 2011
"The crisis engulfing Yemen deepened on Wednesday with dozens of people killed as President Ali Abdullah Saleh reinforced his troops after heavy clashes with gunmen loyal to an influential tribal leader.
Overnight street battles left at least 41 people dead, some trapped in burning buildings. Fighting raged until dawn as presidential guard units shelled the headquarters of an army brigade responsible for protecting government institutions.
Arab embassies were said to be evacuating their staff and the few remaining western residents were being advised to leave urgently. The Foreign Office is urging all Britons to leave while flights are still available in a situation diplomats described as "worse than Libya.".....
"Even if Saleh can defeat all those challenging him, his ability to 'govern' the country in any coherent sense of the word is gone forever," said the Yemeni political analyst, Abdul Ghani Iryani.
"Even in the most autocratic regimes, governance relies on some degree of acceptance of authority. In Yemen there is no sign whatsoever that this exists. Either Saleh leaves power through a political deal he brokers from a position of weakness or he is ousted by force by breakaway military groups and tribal leaders.""
Tom Finn in Sana'a and Ian Black
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 1 June 2011
"The crisis engulfing Yemen deepened on Wednesday with dozens of people killed as President Ali Abdullah Saleh reinforced his troops after heavy clashes with gunmen loyal to an influential tribal leader.
Overnight street battles left at least 41 people dead, some trapped in burning buildings. Fighting raged until dawn as presidential guard units shelled the headquarters of an army brigade responsible for protecting government institutions.
Arab embassies were said to be evacuating their staff and the few remaining western residents were being advised to leave urgently. The Foreign Office is urging all Britons to leave while flights are still available in a situation diplomats described as "worse than Libya.".....
"Even if Saleh can defeat all those challenging him, his ability to 'govern' the country in any coherent sense of the word is gone forever," said the Yemeni political analyst, Abdul Ghani Iryani.
"Even in the most autocratic regimes, governance relies on some degree of acceptance of authority. In Yemen there is no sign whatsoever that this exists. Either Saleh leaves power through a political deal he brokers from a position of weakness or he is ousted by force by breakaway military groups and tribal leaders.""
Another Big Rat Abandons Gaddafi's Sinking Ship
Libya's oil minister defects to 'fight for democracy'
Shukri Ghanem leaves Tripoli for Rome and voices his support for rebels as Nato extends its mission for another 90 days
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 1 June 2011
Shukri Ghanem leaves Tripoli for Rome and voices his support for rebels as Nato extends its mission for another 90 days
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 1 June 2011
Bahrain sees new clashes as martial law lifted
Demonstrations were quickly scattered by security forces
Martin Chulov
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 1 June 2011
"Clashes between demonstrators and security forces have again broken out in Bahrain on the day martial law was lifted by a ruling monarchy battling to restore its image.
Today's demonstrations were quickly scattered (See video posted below) by the same means used to douse protests earlier in the year. Security forces moved into Shia neighbourhoods where people had taken to the streets and dispersed them with tear gas and bird shot. Human rights activists said those wounded were too scared to go to hospital and instead treated their injuries at home.....
"The regime played the sectarian card very early," said one western observer. "And they created a monster that they couldn't control."
Dozens of doctors and nurses were arrested during the security crackdown ordered in mid-March after a failed attempt by Bahrain's crown prince to broker discussions with the main opposition group, al-Wafaq.
The fate of many of them remains unknown. The government accused medical staff of using one of Manama's main hospitals, the SMC medical centre, of using the site for political activities and blockaded the hospital with the help of Saudi forces and troops from the gulf states, who had been invited into Bahrain to help quell the dissent....."
Martin Chulov
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 1 June 2011
"Clashes between demonstrators and security forces have again broken out in Bahrain on the day martial law was lifted by a ruling monarchy battling to restore its image.
Today's demonstrations were quickly scattered (See video posted below) by the same means used to douse protests earlier in the year. Security forces moved into Shia neighbourhoods where people had taken to the streets and dispersed them with tear gas and bird shot. Human rights activists said those wounded were too scared to go to hospital and instead treated their injuries at home.....
"The regime played the sectarian card very early," said one western observer. "And they created a monster that they couldn't control."
Dozens of doctors and nurses were arrested during the security crackdown ordered in mid-March after a failed attempt by Bahrain's crown prince to broker discussions with the main opposition group, al-Wafaq.
The fate of many of them remains unknown. The government accused medical staff of using one of Manama's main hospitals, the SMC medical centre, of using the site for political activities and blockaded the hospital with the help of Saudi forces and troops from the gulf states, who had been invited into Bahrain to help quell the dissent....."
Guardian Video: Bani Jamrah, Bahrain: Police 'shoot at unarmed protesters'
Video posted on YouTube purports to show the moment Bahraini police open fire on unarmed protesters on Wednesday in the north-west village of Bani Jamrah
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 1 June 2011
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 1 June 2011
Current Al-Jazeera (Arabic) Online Poll
This new poll asks:
Do you see that Bashar Assad's promises of reforms and general amnesty are sufficient to stop the protests?
With over 3,700 responding so far, 91% said no.
NOTE:
Keep an eye on this poll, since the Syrian regime and its paid supporters are likely to try to sway the results in the other direction, by voting yes, en masse. They did that before.
Do you see that Bashar Assad's promises of reforms and general amnesty are sufficient to stop the protests?
With over 3,700 responding so far, 91% said no.
NOTE:
Keep an eye on this poll, since the Syrian regime and its paid supporters are likely to try to sway the results in the other direction, by voting yes, en masse. They did that before.
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