Tony Benn accuses the BBC ON AIR of capitualating to the Israeli Government by refusing to air an appeal for the Gazan people by the Disaster Emergency Commitee (DEC) he then broadcasts the Address himself much to the consternation of the interviewer! [ watch video ]
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Turkish PM Erdogan Slams Shimon Peres For Israeli Killings And Walks Off Stage
The Turkish prime minister has stormed out of a heated debate at the World Economic Forum in Davos over Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan walked out of the televised debate on Thursday, after the moderator refused to allow him to rebut the Israeli president's justification about the war that left about 1,300 Gazans dead.
Before storming out, Erdogan told Shimon Peres, the Israeli president: "You are killing people."
[ read more & watch video ]
Recep Tayyip Erdogan walked out of the televised debate on Thursday, after the moderator refused to allow him to rebut the Israeli president's justification about the war that left about 1,300 Gazans dead.
Before storming out, Erdogan told Shimon Peres, the Israeli president: "You are killing people."
[ read more & watch video ]
Somalia's president will need support
 Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh |
Somalia's president needs a stronger mandate and financial support to usher in peace as the country's 550-member parliament is set to elect a new president.
[ read more ]
[ read more ]
Benn: Pro-Israeli BBC policy, disgraceful
 Tony Benn |
The following is an exclusive Press TV interview with the prominent British socialist politician, activist, and former labor minister, Tony Benn, over publicly-funded BBC's controversial decision not to broadcast a charity appeal aimed at collecting aid to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Press TV:Are you surprised the BBC has not overturned its decision?
Benn: Yes I am. I though they would, because the case is so overwhelming. See, the BBC have tired to pretend that if they broadcast this humanitarian appeal it will look as if they are siding with the Palestinians against Israel. Of course, it has nothing to do with it. It is a humanitarian issue: 1,330 people have been killed, 460 of them children and man of them women.
Benn: Yes I am. I though they would, because the case is so overwhelming. See, the BBC have tired to pretend that if they broadcast this humanitarian appeal it will look as if they are siding with the Palestinians against Israel. Of course, it has nothing to do with it. It is a humanitarian issue: 1,330 people have been killed, 460 of them children and man of them women.
The devastation shocked the Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon when he was there. To me it is a disgraceful decision, and I had hoped that they would reverse it, because two government ministers have called on them to broadcast it. [ read more ]
EU furthering Zionist Agenda to marginalised Hamas
 (L to R) Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, Jordanian Foreign Minister Salah Eddin-Bashir, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, Fatah representative Riyad al-Malki, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, Brussels, Jan 25 |
The EU urges Palestinian factions to unite under the authority of Fatah Leader Mahmoud Abbas, whose term as Palestinian Authority Chief has expired.
“We believe that Palestinian reconciliation behind Mahmoud Abbas is fundamental to progress," Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg told reporters after an EU meeting with representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Norway, and the Fatah faction.
"The humanitarian concerns are naturally a priority but the political process must follow close behind… It is the parties themselves who need to genuinely want peace and to be prepared to make the concessions necessary to get there," said Schwarzenberg, whose country currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency.
[ read more ]
“We believe that Palestinian reconciliation behind Mahmoud Abbas is fundamental to progress," Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg told reporters after an EU meeting with representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Norway, and the Fatah faction.
"The humanitarian concerns are naturally a priority but the political process must follow close behind… It is the parties themselves who need to genuinely want peace and to be prepared to make the concessions necessary to get there," said Schwarzenberg, whose country currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency.
[ read more ]
Egyptian Negotiator: Nobody Affords to Say No to Egypt
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26/01/2009 | Arab Monitor | Damascus
The high-level representative of Hamas we had the opportunity to talk to chose to remain anonymous, considering the delicacy of the statements he had to make. With but a few hours into the assassination of Saed Siyam in the Gaza Strip and with equally short time left before the opening of the Arab-Islamic summit hosted by the Emir of Qatar, our interlocutor had been granted only two hours of sleep the previous night and his red-veined, deeply sunken eyeballs tell it all. He reveals to us that it's not Egypt who is actually negotiating the terms of a cease-fire for Gaza, but Turkey: at least, as far as the demands from the Islamic resistance are concerned.
That is how we get to know that what the delegates of Hamas obtained from Egypt was not a draft for a cease-fire proposal, but a dictate: a lull in fighting for an initial two-weeks period, in order to allow for humanitarian aid to be distributed in the Gaza Strip and during which the terms for a durable long-term cease-fire would be negotiated. Cairo would actually opt for a twenty-years truce, but surely for nothing less than a fifteen-years duration of it, demanding at the same time the resistance to sign up on an unconditional defeat, to renounce armed struggle and refrain from military training for its members, as well as from producing and importing weapons. During the short-term lull, the two-weeks halt of fire, there would be no opening of border crossings and even humanitarian aid allowed to pass into the Gaza Strip would do so at the discretion of Egypt and Israel.
“We thanked them, but explained that it was unacceptable. General Suleiman (head of the Egyptian intelligence) was furious and shouted: Nobody in the Arab world can afford to say no to Egypt”. [ read more ]
Moussawi: Struggle of Resistance Can’t But Continue
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Nawaf Mousawi, heads Hezbollah's office for international relations, agreed to be interviewed by Arabmonitor and to give his comments about the more recent events within the frame of the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.
What is your interpretation of the unilateral Israeli cease-fire in Gaza?
“We are talking about an initiative aimed at saving Israel's image, after it had behaved in Gaza like a war criminal; furthermore, Israel is in need of some justification for the prosecution of its aggression through the occupation of the area, which has not yet been lifted and therefore makes this so-called unilateral cease-fire unacceptable for the Palestinian resistance. Under such conditions the struggle of the resistance cannot but continue until it obtains the withdrawal, the lifting of the siege, the opening of the crossings and the launching of a reconstruction campaign, which cannot and must not be hampered by Israeli interference. Just imagine the pictures of the relatives of those six thousand Palestinian casualties, killed or wounded, during the three weeks of Israeli military rampage: now that the truce permits them to emerge from their shelters, what are they seeing? They're looking at the tanks that committed a massacre against their loved ones. I can imagine what their feelings are”.
The behavior of the Egyptian regime has been widely criticized. [ read more ]
What is your interpretation of the unilateral Israeli cease-fire in Gaza?
“We are talking about an initiative aimed at saving Israel's image, after it had behaved in Gaza like a war criminal; furthermore, Israel is in need of some justification for the prosecution of its aggression through the occupation of the area, which has not yet been lifted and therefore makes this so-called unilateral cease-fire unacceptable for the Palestinian resistance. Under such conditions the struggle of the resistance cannot but continue until it obtains the withdrawal, the lifting of the siege, the opening of the crossings and the launching of a reconstruction campaign, which cannot and must not be hampered by Israeli interference. Just imagine the pictures of the relatives of those six thousand Palestinian casualties, killed or wounded, during the three weeks of Israeli military rampage: now that the truce permits them to emerge from their shelters, what are they seeing? They're looking at the tanks that committed a massacre against their loved ones. I can imagine what their feelings are”.
The behavior of the Egyptian regime has been widely criticized. [ read more ]
Ex-CIA chief in Algeria accused of rape
 Former CIA officer Bob Baer says "This is indicative of personnel problems of all sorts that run through the agency." |
A former CIA station chief in Algeria is accused of drugging and raping two Muslim women in what has been described by the US government as "quite explosive".
Two women, both Algerian nationals, accused Andrew Warren in September of lacing their drinks and assaulting them, ABC News quoted US law enforcement sources.
"It has the potential to be quite explosive if it's not handled well by the United States government," Isobel Coleman, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told ABC News. "This isn't the type of thing that's going to be easily pushed under the carpet."
"It has the potential to be quite explosive if it's not handled well by the United States government," Isobel Coleman, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told ABC News. "This isn't the type of thing that's going to be easily pushed under the carpet."
The Justice Department and CIA would not comment on the allegations or any investigation.[ read more ]
Time to undo damage and mend fences.
 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton |
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the new administration needs to undo all the damage Bush has done to restore the US image worldwide.
Clinton told reporters on Tuesday at the State Department that US President Barack Obama is committed to engaging in diplomacy with the international community rather than pursuing unilateral initiatives passed off as preemptive measures, AFP reported.
Commenting on the change of government in Washington, Clinton said, "There is a great exhalation of breath going on around the world as people express their appreciation for the new direction that is being set and the team that is being put together by the president." [ read more ]
Iraq early vote puts PM party in lead
[ click on icon to watch video ]
Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:06:27
Wisam Al-Bayati, Press TV, Baghdad
Puisi Raya Cina
I
Kau tentu ragui taksiranku tentang sejarah manusia
Yang bermula bukan dengan Zaman Batu Insan Purba
Yang tidak tahu martabat dirinya dan peranannya di dunia
Yang melihat ke belakang penuh kemunduran dan derita.
Kau melihat masakini dengan segala permasalahan
Mengharap masadepan menjanjikan lebih kebaikan
Degan pengalaman silam dan masakini
Serta ilmu perubatan dan teknologi tinggi.
Kau menganggap perjanjian insan di Alam Sana
Tiada kaitannya dengan hidup kita di dunia.
Kau tidak patut meragui pandanganku ini
Jika kau mengakui, walau samar sekali
Akan kedatangan hidup ukhrawi tidak terhalangi
Babak terakhir kehidupan insani
Yang menjejaki segala niat dan amal kita di Sini.
Wajarkah kau menerima Babak kedua dan terakhir?
Babak Pertama di Alam Sana kau rela mungkir?
II
Kau bimbang jika berpegang pada Perjanjian Dulu
Yang samara-samar diingat itu, kita tentu terbelenggu
Dengan masa lalu dan gagal melangkah maju
Mencapai kehidupan penuh bermutu
Agar dihormati kawan dan tidak ditindas seteru.
III
Jika telah bertapak dalam kebaikan akal dan amalan
Kau bebas meningkat ke tahap tinggi mencapai ihsan
Mengekal makam sehingga bertemu tuhan
Seperti Ali dan sebarisan dalam perjuangan:
Atau seperti anak Nuh di dalam hujan dan kelam
Menolak tangan ayahnya memilih jahanam.
Jika kau sedang bertukar amal dan pendapat
Sentiasa berubah antara baik dan jahat
Kau masih berupaya bertekad bulat
Mendalami ilmu, menolak zann dan syakk.
Tetap berdiri, tidak lagi berganjak dalam akhlak.
Tinjauan kita pastinya bukan bermula
Pada titik terjadi makhluk benda dirasai indera lima
Yang masih di batasi ruang waktu di alam deria.
Renungan kita kembali jauh pada bila
Ruang dan waktu belum di kira
Di mana ruh telah mengenali Yang Maha Esa
Dan Tegas mengakui ketuhanan dan ketuanan-Nya
Dan beza darjat dan murtabat antara kita dan semua
Bila Amanah Agung diterima sukarela.
Kita lihat ke depan jauh melintasi hidup ini
Memikirkan nasib diri selepas ruh mengecap mati
Apakah Allah Taala redha menerima kembali diri ini?
Menyambut baik segala niat suci dan amal bakti
Segala salah dan silap akan dimaafi?
Merenung masa depan yang pasti datang
Malikul Maut tidak biasa dihalang atau dilambatkan
Dengan riyadah, pemakanan dan teknologi perubatan
Yang hanya merupakan iktiar tugas insan
Membanyakkan taubat atas silap dan kesalahan
Meningkatkan niat suci menambah amal kebajikan.
Setiap diri berkuasa atas Panggung Agung ini
Banyak bisa diperbaiki : niat dan amal-bakti
Bermulalah dengan diri sendiri biarpun selalu dipuji
Dan selari, kaum keluarga dan institusi diamanati.
Masa terus berlalu, kubur tidak sabar bertemu
Mulakanlah hari ini : janganlah berlenggah dungu.
[ dari awal hingga akhir ]
Kau tentu ragui taksiranku tentang sejarah manusia
Yang bermula bukan dengan Zaman Batu Insan Purba
Yang tidak tahu martabat dirinya dan peranannya di dunia
Yang melihat ke belakang penuh kemunduran dan derita.
Kau melihat masakini dengan segala permasalahan
Mengharap masadepan menjanjikan lebih kebaikan
Degan pengalaman silam dan masakini
Serta ilmu perubatan dan teknologi tinggi.
Kau menganggap perjanjian insan di Alam Sana
Tiada kaitannya dengan hidup kita di dunia.
Kau tidak patut meragui pandanganku ini
Jika kau mengakui, walau samar sekali
Akan kedatangan hidup ukhrawi tidak terhalangi
Babak terakhir kehidupan insani
Yang menjejaki segala niat dan amal kita di Sini.
Wajarkah kau menerima Babak kedua dan terakhir?
Babak Pertama di Alam Sana kau rela mungkir?
II
Kau bimbang jika berpegang pada Perjanjian Dulu
Yang samara-samar diingat itu, kita tentu terbelenggu
Dengan masa lalu dan gagal melangkah maju
Mencapai kehidupan penuh bermutu
Agar dihormati kawan dan tidak ditindas seteru.
III
Jika telah bertapak dalam kebaikan akal dan amalan
Kau bebas meningkat ke tahap tinggi mencapai ihsan
Mengekal makam sehingga bertemu tuhan
Seperti Ali dan sebarisan dalam perjuangan:
Atau seperti anak Nuh di dalam hujan dan kelam
Menolak tangan ayahnya memilih jahanam.
Jika kau sedang bertukar amal dan pendapat
Sentiasa berubah antara baik dan jahat
Kau masih berupaya bertekad bulat
Mendalami ilmu, menolak zann dan syakk.
Tetap berdiri, tidak lagi berganjak dalam akhlak.
Tinjauan kita pastinya bukan bermula
Pada titik terjadi makhluk benda dirasai indera lima
Yang masih di batasi ruang waktu di alam deria.
Renungan kita kembali jauh pada bila
Ruang dan waktu belum di kira
Di mana ruh telah mengenali Yang Maha Esa
Dan Tegas mengakui ketuhanan dan ketuanan-Nya
Dan beza darjat dan murtabat antara kita dan semua
Bila Amanah Agung diterima sukarela.
Kita lihat ke depan jauh melintasi hidup ini
Memikirkan nasib diri selepas ruh mengecap mati
Apakah Allah Taala redha menerima kembali diri ini?
Menyambut baik segala niat suci dan amal bakti
Segala salah dan silap akan dimaafi?
Merenung masa depan yang pasti datang
Malikul Maut tidak biasa dihalang atau dilambatkan
Dengan riyadah, pemakanan dan teknologi perubatan
Yang hanya merupakan iktiar tugas insan
Membanyakkan taubat atas silap dan kesalahan
Meningkatkan niat suci menambah amal kebajikan.
Setiap diri berkuasa atas Panggung Agung ini
Banyak bisa diperbaiki : niat dan amal-bakti
Bermulalah dengan diri sendiri biarpun selalu dipuji
Dan selari, kaum keluarga dan institusi diamanati.
Masa terus berlalu, kubur tidak sabar bertemu
Mulakanlah hari ini : janganlah berlenggah dungu.
[ dari awal hingga akhir ]
Tan Sri Khalid Vs Khir Toyo
Khir Toyo cuba menarik perhatian Perwakilan Pemuda dengan memburukkan Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. Tan Sri Khalid sedang memikirkan samada akan menyaman Khir Toyo. Prof. Madya Dr. Muhammad Agus Yusoff menjelaskan potensi dan risiko 'Polotik of Hope'yang diwajahkan pada peribadi Presiden Amerika Syarikat ke-44. [ lihat video]
Erdogan storms out of WEF over Gaza
 Erdogan criticized the audience of international officials and corporate chiefs for applauding Peres' emotional defense of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. |
Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan stormed out of a Davos forum after a heated debate with Israel's President Shimon Peres and slamming moderator David Ignatius.
Erdogan walked off in front of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other panel members complaining that his comments on the conflict were cut short by the Washington Post's moderator David Ignatius.
The Turkish premier noted to reporters following the incident that he was treated unfairly by the moderator who allowed him only 12 minutes to make his points while giving Peres a full 25 minutes to deliver an impassioned defense of Israel's 22-day offensive that devastated Gaza. Arab League chief, Egypt's Amr Moussa rose to shake his hand as the prime minister made his exit.
The Turkish premier noted to reporters following the incident that he was treated unfairly by the moderator who allowed him only 12 minutes to make his points while giving Peres a full 25 minutes to deliver an impassioned defense of Israel's 22-day offensive that devastated Gaza. Arab League chief, Egypt's Amr Moussa rose to shake his hand as the prime minister made his exit.
"I do not think I will be coming back to Davos after this because you do not let me speak," the prime minister shouted as he left, though he said later he could reconsider.[ read more ]
Past war crimes return to haunt Israel
 Former Israeli defence minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer |
A court investigation into the 2002 conduct of a former Israeli defense minister and six other high-ranking officials has begun in Spain.
The Spanish National Court on Thursday assessed charges brought against former Israeli authorities by a Palestinian human rights group last year. Judge Fernando Andreu evaluated the case.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) had filed a lawsuit against former Israeli defense minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer and other officials for giving the green light to military operations in 2002.
The Spanish National Court on Thursday assessed charges brought against former Israeli authorities by a Palestinian human rights group last year. Judge Fernando Andreu evaluated the case.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) had filed a lawsuit against former Israeli defense minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer and other officials for giving the green light to military operations in 2002.
On July 22, 2002, Israel dropped a one-ton bomb over the al-Daraj neighborhood in the Gaza Strip and assassinated Salah Shehadeh, a leader of the Palestinian Hamas. [ read more ]
Britain's Sky News joins BBC against Gaza appeal
 Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has repeatedly denied a humanitarian crisis underway in the Gaza Strip. |
Britain's Sky News is refusing to broadcast a humanitarian fundraising appeal for Gaza, following in the footsteps of the BBC.
The 24-hour television news channel said Monday that airing the appeal would put the network's objectivity at risks.
"We have to, as an international channel, focus on our primary role and that is to report the story and not become the story", Adrian Wells, Sky News's head of foreign news, said. [read more ]
"We have to, as an international channel, focus on our primary role and that is to report the story and not become the story", Adrian Wells, Sky News's head of foreign news, said. [read more ]
Too Early Maybe Too Late
 US President, Barack Hussein Obama |
No matter what you say about the new US President Barack Hussein Obama, the swift and very fashionable reply from some head popped around the door seems to be, "It's just too early to tell."
In an unprecedented show of good will toward the Arab nations, President Obama held an interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya Network. It was immediately hailed "a dramatic piece of public diplomacy aimed at capitalizing on the new American president's international popularity."
But President Obama dropped a large clanger in the works when he forgot to put what Palestine has just been put through before his administration's undying support for Israel.
But President Obama dropped a large clanger in the works when he forgot to put what Palestine has just been put through before his administration's undying support for Israel.
Whoops! Never mind it's just too early to tell, right? [read more]
Rocket hits Negev after Israel's air raid
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A rocket fired from Gaza has hit Israel shortly after Israeli jets bombed the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
The Qassam rocket struck the western Negev region on Wednesday morning, causing no casualties, the Israeli media reported.
The Qassam rocket struck the western Negev region on Wednesday morning, causing no casualties, the Israeli media reported.
The attack came shortly after Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza's border with Egypt.
The Israeli Army said that the airstrikes were carried out against "Hamas's tunnels" in response to a Tuesday remote-control bomb attack along the Gaza border that killed one Israeli soldier. [ read more ]
The Israeli Army said that the airstrikes were carried out against "Hamas's tunnels" in response to a Tuesday remote-control bomb attack along the Gaza border that killed one Israeli soldier. [ read more ]
20 years of conflict costs ME $12 trillion
 A report says conflict in the Middle East has cost $12 trillion. |
A recent study has revealed that armed conflicts in the Middle East have cost the region a staggering USD 12 trillion over the past 20 years.
The fourteen digit figure was released as part of a study conducted by the Indian Strategic Foresight Group and financed by various research groups around the world, Reuters reported.
The study suggests that the figure explains just how critical peace can be in stimulating growth in the Middle East, especially at a time of economic slowdown throughout the world.
"The choice they have to make is the choice between the danger of devastation and the promise of peace," said Strategic Foresight Group President Sundee aslekar, who took part in the study. [ read more ]
Israeli jets hit Gaza Rafah border
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Israeli warplanes have carried out at least three airstrikes at the Rafah border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, witnesses say.
Some Rafah residents fled their homes in panic as an Israeli aircraft hit the area three times, Hamas officials said. There was no immediate report of casualties.
The Israeli army claimed that the airstrikes were carried out against "Hamas tunnels" in response to a Tuesday remote-control bomb attack along the Gaza border where one Israeli soldier was killed.
Israeli forces had responded to the airstrikes by killing a 24-year-old Palestinian farmer near the Kissufim crossing on the Gaza Strip border. [read more]
Prosecute George W. Bush For Illegal Acts
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The Obama administration is reluctant to turn over too many rocks in the Bush administration's conduct in the War on Terror. Obama has pledged to reach a post-partisan nirvana, and Republicans could condemn any investigation of Bush administration abuse of the republic as a partisan witch-hunt. Also, the Obama administration has a conflict of interest in pursuing investigations and prosecutions against Bush administration officials because now that Obama is president, he may not want to entirely discredit Bush's precedents, which significantly expanded executive powers.
Yet in the expanse of human history, the existence of republican government has been rare and short-lived by comparison. Even in recent years, when republicanism has spread the farthest, we forget how fragile the experiment is. The stakes are high, and the Obama administration needs to beat down the autocratic precedents left by the previous administration. The only way it can do so is by bringing criminal cases against the high level perpetrators. [ read more ]
Yet in the expanse of human history, the existence of republican government has been rare and short-lived by comparison. Even in recent years, when republicanism has spread the farthest, we forget how fragile the experiment is. The stakes are high, and the Obama administration needs to beat down the autocratic precedents left by the previous administration. The only way it can do so is by bringing criminal cases against the high level perpetrators. [ read more ]
UN: Israel failed in duties as occupier
[ click on the icon to watch video] 
Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:17:02 GMT | PressTV
Palestinian witnesses said Israeli helicopters also hovered in the air firing machine gun bursts and an Israeli jet sounded a loud sonic boom over Gaza City. [ read more ]
Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:17:02 GMT | PressTV
 A relative of Palestinian farmer Anwar al-Beram cries during his funeral in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Israeli soldiers killed the farmer after a bomb blast on the Israeli side of the Gaza border. |
UN humanitarian chief John Holmes confirms that Israel has closed the Gaza Strip border crossings in violation of international laws.
Israel briefly opened its border with Gaza on Tuesday. The crossing, however, was sealed the same day after an Israeli soldier was killed by a bomb blast at a Gaza crossing. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Israel responded almost immediately by killing a farmer at the crossing and launching a new round of attacks on the coastal area.
Palestinian witnesses said Israeli helicopters also hovered in the air firing machine gun bursts and an Israeli jet sounded a loud sonic boom over Gaza City. [ read more ]
Btritish protesters briefly occupy BBC
 BBC under fire for refusal to show Gaza charity appeal - London protests on Saturday |
An anti-war group has occupied the Glasgow offices of the BBC in protest at the broadcaster's decision not to air a Gaza fundraising appeal.
The British Stop the War Coalition said it had about 100 people in the foyer of the BBC's Glasgow offices on Sunday, occupying the place for nearly two hours.
The occupation follows criticism from lawmakers, celebrities and religious leaders.[read more ]
Gaza War Legitimized Equating Jews with Nazis
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The offensive in Gaza put an end to the European taboo on equating Jews to Nazis. That message was one of the conclusions of the first international panel discussion on anti-Semitism following the Gaza invasion, which was held in occupied Jerusalem Monday on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Speaking at the panel, which was part of the World Zionist Congress conference, Professor Dina Porat said, "the comparison has now become self-understood." She added this applied not only to Muslims in Europe, but among "leftist circles."
Speaking at the panel, which was part of the World Zionist Congress conference, Professor Dina Porat said, "the comparison has now become self-understood." She added this applied not only to Muslims in Europe, but among "leftist circles."
WJC Treasurer Cobi Benatoff of Italy, who attended the panel, urged Jewish communities to "complain less and do more."
He hinted criticism of European coreligionists in comparing the level of involvement in the Middle East by Muslims in Europe to that of the continent's Jews. "I don't remember demonstrations by Jewish Europeans when the Negev came under Palestinian fire every day," he said. [ read more ]
He hinted criticism of European coreligionists in comparing the level of involvement in the Middle East by Muslims in Europe to that of the continent's Jews. "I don't remember demonstrations by Jewish Europeans when the Negev came under Palestinian fire every day," he said. [ read more ]
Baer: “Nasrallah Redefined Islamic Politics”
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Former CIA Operative Robert Baer said there was an American military veto in attacking Iran, dismissing what some analysts believe that Israel’s wars on Lebanon and Gaza would end with attacking Iran.
Speaking to the Inter Press Service News Agency, Baer discussed the repercussions of such an attack on the region. He said that “there will be an Iranian reaction in the Gulf. Iran will not be attacked like Hamas and just respond locally. It will respond internationally. It has no choice. This is their deterrence power. In Iran, it is very important to understand a lot of lessons.”
YOU CAN’T WIN WARS OF ATTRITION WITH IRANIANS
“If you look on the IRGC [Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps] website, you see the lessons they learned from the Iran-Iraq War. These wars are wars of attrition; they go on forever. You just can't win them, especially against the United States. So they have developed secondary asymmetrical warfare ability, guerilla warfare, which is very effective,” Baer said.
“The New York Times is right when it says that Bush vetoed an Israeli attack, simply because there is a balance of power in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran, and it's a fairly even balance of power. I mean not in terms of aircraft tanks or submarines, but in a monopoly of violence, there is equality. There is no question there is equality. We could bomb Tehran, but what does that get you? Nothing. It's sort of like bombing the U.N. compound in Gaza by Israel. What does that give the Israelis? Nothing. Yes they could destroy it, but what does that give them? Hamas still is going to exist.”
Baer expressed his view about the main characteristics of Hamas and Hezbollah’s military and political behavior.
“They redefined the idea of warfare in geography. The fact that Hezbollah dug into caves or the fact that they use fiber optics to communicate shows enormous sophistication and primitive warfare in combination. I mean, what army in the world uses fiber optics except Hezbollah? You can't intercept fiber optics. There is nothing you can do...You look at [Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan] Nasrallah, and he has redefined Islamic politics because he's gone into an alliance with Christians. Bin Laden wants to kill Christians; I'm going to reduce it to that. Nasrallah is looking at them as allies.” [ read more ]
Iran Expecting a change in US policy
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Iran is expecting "concrete changes" in US policy towards the Islamic republic under new President Barack Obama, the government spokesman was quoted as saying on Tuesday.
[ read more ]
MPs up pressure on BBC over gaza.
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Seven people were reportedly arrested by the police
the rally outside the BBC's Broadcasting
House in Central London.
House in Central London.
British Members of Parliament have filed a motion condemning the BBC's refusal to broadcast an appeal on behalf of the people of Gaza.
The motion - to be tabled on Monday - has so far received the support of 51 lawmakers from across the House of Commons.
The move comes after the BBC rejected pleas from government officials to air an appeal, which aims to raise millions of dollars for the thousands without food, medicine and shelter in Gaza. [read more]
Israel threatens to assassinate Hamas PM
 Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz |
A top Israeli official has threatened to murder Hamas Premier Ismail Haniya if the group keeps Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in custody.
"As long as Gilad Shalit doesn't see the light of day, you won't see the light of day. As long as Shalit doesn't go free, you and your friends will not be free. We won't hesitate to send you on the way we sent Yassin and Rantissi," Israeli Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz was quoted by Haaretz as saying.
Top Hamas leaders Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi and Sheikh Ahmed Yassin were killed in separate Israeli attacks in April and March 2004.
Mofaz had formerly urged the government to resume what Israel calls 'targeted assassination' tactic in dealing with the democratically elected government of Hamas.[read more]
Hamas: France helps Israel in Gaza siege
 Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya |
Hamas has condemned the deployment of a French frigate off the coast of Gaza, saying it would reinforce an Israeli blockade on the strip.
Prime Minister Ismail Haniya lashed out at French President Nicolas Sarkozy over the deployment of the warship to the area allegedly to fight 'arms smuggling' into the coastal region.
"We expected France, whose motto is 'liberty, equality, fraternity' to send hospital ships to treat the children burned by banned weapons or to set up a humanitarian bridge... rather than deploy a navy ship to reinforce the blockade," said Haniya in a statement Tuesday.[read more]
Israel launches new attacks on Gaza
 Witnesses say Israeli tanks are entering the Gaza Strip. |
Israel has re-launched aerial and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip after an Israeli soldier was killed in a bomb blast at a Gaza crossing.
Palestinian witnesses said Israeli tanks are seen rolling into the Gaza Strip after a warplane struck targets across the territory, Haaretz reported.
Heavy fighting have also been reported near Khan Yunis in southern Gaza after Israeli forces moved into the territory Tuesday afternoon.
Earlier, Defense Minister Ehud Barak had threatened to attack the strip in retaliation to the death of an Israeli soldier who was killed in a bomb blast at the Kissufim crossing near the Israel-Gaza border. [read more]
Umno Perak assemblyman defects to PKR
– Datuk Nasarudin Hashim, Umno Perak’s assemblyman for Bota, has quit the party with immediate effect and crossed over to PKR, citing the interests of his constituents.The former civil servant said that he had only made his decision today and would be tendering his resignation to Umno tomorrow.
Coming on the back of Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) victory in the Jan 17 Kuala Terengganu by-election, this will be an additional fillip to Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s long standing plans to take over federal government.
“The decision of Datuk Nasarudin is critical, reflecting the sentiment of his voters, primarily the Malays in his constituency,” Anwar told a press conference at the party headquarters today. [read more]
[watch video]
[watch video]
Blast kills Israeli soldier, injures three
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According to Dubai-based Al Arabiya television, the explosion occurred earlier on Tuesday.
Palestinians living near the Kissufim crossing told Reuters that they had seen two or three gunmen moving toward the border fence early in the morning mist.
The residents said they later heard explosions and gunfire shortly after 8 am (0600 GMT). [read more ]
The residents said they later heard explosions and gunfire shortly after 8 am (0600 GMT). [read more ]
Egypt Wants Long-Term Gaza Truce to Start February 5
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Egypt has proposed that a yet to be agreed truce between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza begin on February 5, a Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine official declared on Monday.
DFLP official Saleh Zaidan said Egypt, which has been mediating truce talks between Israel, Hamas and several Palestinian factions, would continue discussions to shore up the ceasefire before February 5. [read more ]
Iran moves to hold war crimes tribunal
 An estimated 4,000 homes has been totally destroyed and 17,000 damaged in the three-week war on Gaza. |
The Iranian cabinet introduces a bill to take action on individuals accused of war crimes amid a seeming ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The cabinet of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad laid out details of the bill on Sunday, discussing methods to track down and prosecute individuals accused of committing or issuing the order for war crimes.
Under the newly-introduced bill, launching a military offensive, killing civilians, employment of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), laying a siege to civilians and military personnel and imposing food shortages on them are regarded as war crimes.
Individuals charged with committing or ordering such crimes, depending on the extent of their involvement, would be sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison by an Iranian court or would face execution. [read more ]
Individuals charged with committing or ordering such crimes, depending on the extent of their involvement, would be sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison by an Iranian court or would face execution. [read more ]
Deciphering Obama's message to the Middle East
From Baghdad, Leila Fadel joins Gareth Porter to discuss Obama's inaugural message for Middle East ears
What will Obama do in Iraq? Pt 2/2
From Baghdad, Leila Fadel joins Gareth Porter in DC to discuss Obama's message for Middle East.
Bio
Leila Fadel is the chief of the Baghdad bureau of McClatchy Newspapers. She has covered the war in Iraq for Knight Ridder and now McClatchy on and off since June 2005, as well as the 34-day war in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel in the summer of 2006. She has lived in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia and speaks conversational Arabic. Her Iraq reporting won her Print Journalist of the Year honors from the Houston Press Club.
Gareth Porter is an historian and investigative journalist on US foreign and military policy analyst. He writes regularly for Inter Press Service on US policy towards Iraq and Iran. Author of four books, the latest of which is Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam [read more ]
Netanyahu: Likud-led Coalition Wouldn't Build New Settlements
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A Likud-led government would not build new settlements in the occupied West Bank but would allow for natural growth, Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu told “Quartet” envoy Tony Blair Sunday, in an apparent attempt to calm the international community before this week's arrival of George Mitchell, the newly appointed U.S. envoy to the Middle East.
"I have no intention of building new settlements in the West Bank," Netanyahu told Blair in a meeting Sunday. "But like all the governments there have been until now, I will have to meet the needs of natural growth in the population. I will not be able to choke the settlements." [read more ]
Carter: No peace in ME without Hamas
 Former US President Jimmy Carter |
Former US President Jimmy Carter says that the Hamas movement can be trusted and Mideast peace would be impossible without its involvement.
In an interview on NBC's Today show on Monday, former US President Jimmy Carter said that 'Hamas can be trusted' adding that the movement never deviated from its commitments as per the recent ceasefire agreement with Israel.
The former US President said that he has been promised by the organization's leaders in Damascus and Gaza that Hamas would honor agreements between Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas and Israel, as long as they were supported by public referendum. [ read more ]
The former US President said that he has been promised by the organization's leaders in Damascus and Gaza that Hamas would honor agreements between Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas and Israel, as long as they were supported by public referendum. [ read more ]
Rabbi urged 'no mercy' in killing of Gazans
 Chief Military Rabbi Brigadier General Avi Ronzki |
The Israeli Army's chief rabbi has caused controversy by calling on troops to 'show no mercy' in their attacks against Palestinians in Gaza.
Chief Military Rabbi Brigadier General Avi Ronzki had distributed pamphlets to Israeli troops implicitly sanctioning the killing of civilians.
Chief Military Rabbi Brigadier General Avi Ronzki had distributed pamphlets to Israeli troops implicitly sanctioning the killing of civilians.
"When you show mercy to a cruel enemy you are being cruel to pure and honest soldiers. These are not games at the amusement park where sportsmanship teaches one to make concessions. This is a war on murderers," the pamphlets read. [read more ]
Cambridge students stage a sit in.
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More than 100 students from Britain's Cambridge University – including five Israelis, as well as Palestinians, Britons and residents of other countries – have been staging a sit-in at the prestigious university's law faculty since Friday in protest of the Israeli activity in the Gaza Strip.
The students said they would not evacuate themselves until the academic institutions launched a series of actions, including a fundraiser for Gaza's residents and scholarships to Palestinian students. [ read more ]
Hamas advised to accept truce before Natanhahu came to power.
 Feb poll may result in a coalition of former PM Netanyahu's Likud, the far-right Yisrael Beitenu and conservative Jewish religious parties |
Egyptian officials advise Hamas leaders to accept a truce deal before Likud Chairman, Benjamin Netanyahu, is elected Israel's prime minister.
The London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsatreported on Monday that the Egyptian mediators attempted to persuade Hamas to accept Israel's conditions before a less cooperative government under Netanyahu comes to power, a circumstance under which Gaza government could "lose everything."
Egyptian warning comes as the latest surveys in Israel suggest that the former Prime Minister Netanyahu's Likud, the far-right Yisrael Beitenu, is likely to win the February 10 general elections.
Earlier in the day, Ayman Taha, Hamas' Gaza spokesman, who met with the heads of Egyptian mediation team, said Tel Aviv has offered to open the Gaza crossings and free 1,000 prisoners in exchange for the captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. [read more ]
Egyptian warning comes as the latest surveys in Israel suggest that the former Prime Minister Netanyahu's Likud, the far-right Yisrael Beitenu, is likely to win the February 10 general elections.
Earlier in the day, Ayman Taha, Hamas' Gaza spokesman, who met with the heads of Egyptian mediation team, said Tel Aviv has offered to open the Gaza crossings and free 1,000 prisoners in exchange for the captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. [read more ]
Turkey opposes military monitoring in Gaza
 Turkish PM, Recep Tayyip Erdogan rules out sending military forces to monitor the border crossings in Gaza. |
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ruled out sending military forces to monitor the border crossings in the Gaza Strip.
"Ankara will consider sending only civilian forces to Palestine to ensure a durable ceasefire," Hurriyat quoted Erdogan as saying on Monday.
Erdogan's remark came after Hamas told Egyptian mediators that it was willing to deploy European and Turkish monitors at the Rafah crossing.
Erdogan's remark came after Hamas told Egyptian mediators that it was willing to deploy European and Turkish monitors at the Rafah crossing.
Turkey has expressed readiness to participate in an international monitoring force for Gaza. It currently plays an active role in carrying out peacekeeping missions in the West Bank city of Hebron and Lebanon in the Middle East, as well as in Afghanistan and Kosovo. [read more ]
France offers Islamic Finance degree
 The financial success in the Persian Gulf region has turned Islamic banking into a fast-growing section in Europe. |
A French business school has offered an Islamic finance degree for European Muslims who seek to pursue a career in Islamic banking.
Strasbourg University's School of Management has accepted 36 students from France, Algeria, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Tunisia into the 11-month postgraduate masters-level course.
Islamic bankers avoid 'Riba' -- usually translated as 'usury' -- and promote investments under the precepts of Sharia law, sharing the risk and profit among partners in a way that does not resemble gambling. [read more ]
Strasbourg University's School of Management has accepted 36 students from France, Algeria, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Tunisia into the 11-month postgraduate masters-level course.
Islamic bankers avoid 'Riba' -- usually translated as 'usury' -- and promote investments under the precepts of Sharia law, sharing the risk and profit among partners in a way that does not resemble gambling. [read more ]
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