Pakistan ministers to quit cabinet

Karachi-centered political party serves notice on government following tensions with coalition partners.

28 Dec 2010

The second largest party in Pakistan's coalition government has announced that its two ministers are quitting the federal cabinet.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) said its ministers would resign on Tuesday due to differences with the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

MQM announced the decision a day earlier, citing corruption, law and order and rising prices among the reasons for its decision to withdraw Babar Ghauri, the ports and shipping minister, and Farooq Sattar, minister for overseas Pakistanis.

The party has, in the past, repeatedly threatened to pull out of the federal government. "They wanted to build pressure on the government," Zafar Jaspal of Islamabad's Quaid-e-Azam University told Al Jazeera. "It is a typical blackmailing move but a very calculated political one."

Future in doubt

The MQM's move comes just weeks after a prominent religious party left the government, raising questions about the government's future.

The party said on Monday that the resignations were a first step and that a decision to stay or leave the coalition at federal and provincial levels would be taken in the near future.

"We have two ministers in the federal cabinet and as protest have withdrawn them, but we will not sit on opposition benches," Haider Abbas Rizvi, a senior MQM leader, said.

Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder, reporting from the northwestern city of Peshawar said: "The MQM is saying that while it will quit the cabinet, it will not quit the government, perhaps to give a chance to the government to reform itself.

"It will be interesting to see how the PPP responds and whether they want to keep MQM on board or not."

Faisal Sabzwari, an MQM party leader, said: "The decision has been taken because the government did not pay any heed to our complaints about the remarks of Zulfiqar Mirza, Sindh home minister, maligning the MQM."

Mirza prompted anger from the MQM by saying on television that most of the suspects detained in recent months over targeted killings had belonged to the MQM.

The party complained to Yousuf Raza Gilani, the prime minister, and Asif Ali Zardari, the president, about it, but was unhappy with their response.

Tensions are already high between the MQM and the Awami National Party (ANP), which represent different communities in Karachi, straddling political fault lines.

The MQM represents the Urdu-speaking majority in Karachi and shares power in Sindh province and central government.

Karachi, capital of Sindh, is plagued by ethnic and sectarian killings, crime and kidnappings.

Multiple challenges

Pakistan's ruling coalition faces several challenges including combating Taliban fighters and a fragile economy.

It holds 181 out of 342 seats in parliament, nine more than the 172 needed to maintain its majority, including 25 members from the MQM.

"Pakistan's government is in trouble, the parliament is not able to do anything," our correspondent said.

"The political parties don't feel comfortable with this government, which has not performed well.

"And there are strong indications that the government is in a deep crisis, not just economic but also political."

Furthermore, Gilani's government is struggling to implement tax overhaul needed to secure the sixth tranche of an $11 bn International Monetary Fund loan keeping the economy afloat.

The government is likely to be further distracted by the political turbulence, though the IMF's decision on Monday to grant a nine-month extension of the stand-by loan could give it some breathing space.

The extension, aimed at giving Pakistani authorities time to complete sales tax and other overhaul, runs to September 30, 2011.

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net//news/asia/2010/12/2010122843748932555.html.

Too far from roots, Amman's Bukhari community struggles to revive heritage

By Muath Freij

AMMAN - A geographically scattered minority, Jordan’s Bukhari community is coming together to preserve its unique traditions and language amidst a changing way of life.

A community that hails from Bukhara in Uzbekistan, a city located on the Silk Road and famous for its medieval old town and its iconic minaret, the Bukharis have a story to tell.

Many of the city’s residents fled following the Bolshevik revolution and the absorption of Bukhara into the new Soviet Union, heading towards Mecca, Istanbul and Jerusalem, according to the Bukhari Charity Society.

When the Bukhari community first arrived in Amman as merchants and traders in the 1920s from their Uzbek homeland, they brought with them a host of traditional foods, dress and dance.

By the 1940s, a mini Bukhari neighborhood had spouted up in Raghadan, and the merchant-minded community opened Souk Bukhari across from Al Husseini Mosque in the 1940s, according to community members.

According to Fuad Bukhari, historian and Bukhari author who penned a book on Amman in the 1940s and 1950s, said the community’s position as traders allowed them to befriend people of all different backgrounds and quickly became a part of the Kingdom’s social fabric.

However, in the 21st century, the younger generation of Bukharis are losing touch with their roots due to a “busier” modern way of life and a loss of Uzbek dialect, according to community leaders.

As families grew in size, the community moved out from its Raghadan and spread out across west Amman, opting for neighborhoods such as Sweifieh, Dabouk and the Fourth Circle, according to the Bukhari Charity Society. There are no statistics regarding the number of Bukharis in the Kingdom, with unofficial estimates standing in “the thousands”.

Abdullah Bukhari, founder of the society, said the 83-strong group is looking to strengthen the younger generation’s awareness of their roots and cultural traditions.

Chaikhuna was one of Bukharia’s social get-togethers that used to be a staple in downtown Amman. According to the society’s director, in Chaikhuna, men gather to recite the Koran and hadith as they drink green tea from a bala, a Bukhari ceramic cup.

But now many of Jordan’s Bukharis say they are too busy for Chaikhuna, opting for longer workdays rather than stopping for a cup of green tea and tradition.

Gone too are the community’s unique traditional clothes such as the chaban and women’s tyubiteikas which were once commonplace in Raghadan, according to the society. The silk garments are too expensive to be imported from Uzbekistan, they said, and women now opt for more conservative clothing when leaving the house. One has to scour Souk Bukharia to find an old timer who still wears the fur kalbak hat during the winter months.

Mahmoud Bukharia, 35, said the generation is too caught up with the requirements of daily life to keep family and community-based traditions alive.

“This is the traditions of our grandfathers, not our generation,” he said.

Abu Mahmoud, a merchant from Souk Bukharia, said young people have little affinity for Uzbek traditions and shun their fathers’ trades for university studies, often going on to other professions in the private sector than working as merchants.

According to the society, the road to Bukhara culture runs through the stomach. The community serves a host of specific dishes to mark the various passages of life and highlight the strong bonds between the Uzbek community and their Islamic faith, which remains the last link between Jordanian Bukharis and their past.

Bukharia dishes are an important element during Eid holidays, for example. According to Mohammed Bukhari of Al Husseini Mosque Committee, Bukhari families serve numerous sweet dishes such as hala watar, chekchek and halorika.

The most famous and common staple dish “ruz Bukhari” (Bukhari rice), consisting of rice, boiled chickpeas, lamb and vegetables, is served on two occasions, according to Abdullah Bukhari.

According to the community, one type of ruz Bukhari is served on weddings and consists of raisins and yellow carrots. Typically, hungry guests eat the rice at 5:00am at the end of the wedding party in a final celebration of the holy union of the bride and groom.

Although the second type of Bukhari rice is served as a household dinner, Abdullah said the preparation of the traditional dish is a pure communal activity.

“Bukhari men used to gather at night to cut vegetables and sing traditional songs while preparing ruz Bukhari,” Abdullah explained, adding that now the Bukharis rarely gather to slice vegetables or sing ballads of yore.

According to the society, the major barrier for the younger generation is language.

With intermarriage and little use of the Uzbek language at home, younger generations have little understanding of Bukhari, a gateway to folk songs, art and traditions, they said.

Some 55 per cent of Bukharis in Jordan still know their mother tongue, according to the society, which is planning to organize Uzbek language courses for the new generation of Bukharis.

Ghazi Bukhari, 55, said that he is among many who would like to learn the language but is too busy with work to revive old traditions.

Mahmoud said that Bukhari community has little use for the language.

“The younger generation does not have a background on the traditions; we just don’t understand them,” he said.

But the society has some hope: Many female Bukhari community members have expressed interest in reviving their culture and learning the language.

Ahmed Bukhari is also one of several young Bukharis interested in learning the language of the community, but has little background in his roots.

The 25-year-old trader in downtown Amman follows the footsteps of his forefathers by embracing his culture as part of the Kingdom’s diverse community.

“I want to learn how my ancestors lived, where we come from,” he said.

“I want to find my own Silk Road to my culture,” he said.

28 December 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/?news=32980.

Rally to mark 2nd anniversary of Israeli war on Gaza

By Mohammad Ben Hussein

AMMAN - Members of the professional associations are scheduled to hold a rally today to commemorate the second anniversary of the Israeli war on Gaza.

Leaders of the 14 professional associations and members of opposition parties are expected to discuss the impact of the war on the Palestinian issue as well as the situation of Gazans in the aftermath of the offensive, according to Ala Bourqan, spokesman of the Professional Associations Council.

Some 1,400 Palestinians were killed and thousands injured during the 22-day onslaught, which destroyed the area’s infrastructure.

Academicians and experts will offer analyzes on the political situation in the region following the 22-day offensive.

Activists are also expected to pledge commitment to help Gazans prevail over the siege imposed on the coastal enclave in 2007.

In addition, a number of association leaders will present assessments on the current situation in Palestine and discuss the fate of the stalled peace talks.

Activists have vowed to maintain political and economic support to Gaza until the sanctions are lifted.

"The war has ended, but its impact continues. We have to keep discussing this sensitive and highly important war to learn lessons from it for the future," Bourqan said.

Since the start of the blockade, the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO) has sent dozens of aid convoys to Gaza carrying badly needed items including medical equipment, basic food items and equipment that can ease the impact of the blockade on the Hamas-controlled enclave.

Since the Israeli blockade on Gaza started in 2007, the JHCO has sent almost 100 convoys to the strip, carrying over $33 million worth of aid.

In addition, Jordan deployed a field hospital to the coastal enclave in January 2009 that has dealt with more than 379,000 cases and carried out more than 10,435 surgeries.

Israel began to ease its restrictions earlier this year, allowing in all purely civilian goods, after an international outcry over a May 31 commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in which nine Turkish activists were killed.

28 December 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/?news=32972.

تونس تهاجم الجزيرة والاحتجاج يتمدد

28/12/2010 م

انتقد مجلس النواب التونسي وأحزاب سياسية أخرى معارضة تغطية قناة الجزيرة للاحتجاجات التي تشهدها مدن عديدة في البلاد ضد ما يوصف بتفشي البطالة والفساد والتنمية غير العادلة، معتبرين أن التغطية تسعى "لتشويه سمعة البلاد والتضليل بهدف بث الفوضى والفتنة".

ودخلت المظاهرات المساندة للتحركات الشعبية بسيدي بوزيد يومها الحادي عشر، بأعقاب إقدام شاب من خريجي التعليم العالي عاطل عن العمل يدعى محمد بوعزيزي على محاولة الانتحار حرقا احتجاجا على الأوضاع المعيشية المتردّية وتفشي البطالة.

واعتمدت قناة الجزيرة بتغطيتها للاحتجاجات في نشراتها الإخبارية وبرامجها الحوارية على تسجيلات فيديو منقولة من هواتف نقالة تبث على مختلف مواقع الإنترنت الاجتماعية، كما حاورت وجوها من الحكومة والموالين لها أبرزهم وزير التنمية والتعاون الدولي محمد النوري الجويني.

وقال بيان للبرلمان إن "الجزيرة تسعى لتشويه سمعة تونس وبث روح الحقد والبغضاء وتوظيف مجريات الأحداث لغايات مشبوهة واختلاق الاستنتاجات المضللة والمزاعم الواهية وفسح المجال للمناوئين والمشككين للإساءة لتونس على أساس التلاعب بالمشاعر والمغالطة الرامية إلى بث الفوضى وزعزعة الاستقرار".

أحزاب تندد

من جهته أعرب حزب الوحدة الشعبية عن اليقين بأن "مزاعم الجزيرة وبعض وكالات الأنباء التي حذت حذوها -دون أن يذكرها- باتت مكشوفة أمام الرأي العام الوطني وكل القوى الوطنية".

وقال الاتحاد الديمقراطي الوحدوي بدوره إن التناول الإعلامي لقناة الجزيرة لأحداث سيدي بوزيد وعدد من المدن الأخرى "لم يكن تعاطيا محترفا وملتزما بقيم ومبادئ العمل الصحفي بل كان في جوهره تعاطيا سياسيا يدفع في اتجاه مزيد توتير الوضع من خلال أسلوب التهويل والتضخيم".

ووصف الحزب الاجتماعي التحرري تغطية الجزيرة بأنها "حملة إعلامية مشبوهة تنطلق من أهداف مغرضة وساعية لخدمة أهداف تتقاطع مع مصالح المواطن وتتعارض مع خدمة الوطن".

كما اتهم حزب الخضر للتقدم الجزيرة "بتضخيم الأحداث والتركيز على البث المتكرر طيلة أيام عديدة لصور غير موثوقة المصدر ومعتمدة التركيب الموجه لهذه الصورة لأجل وضع الأحداث خارج إطارها ولإيهام الناس بوقائع ترتكز على الإثارة".

تونس والجزيرة

يذكر أن تونس قطعت في أكتوبر/تشرين الأول 2006 ومن جانب واحد علاقتها الدبلوماسية مع قطر احتجاجا على استضافة الجزيرة في إحدى برامجها المعارض التونسي منصف المرزوقي (المقيم في فرنسا) الذي دعا التونسيين عبر القناة إلى عصيان مدني سلمي، ثم أعادتها بعد نحو عامين.

وأكد وزير العدل وحقوق الإنسان التونسي السابق بشير التكاري في نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني 2009 أن بلاده حجبت "مؤقتا" موقع الجزيرة نت الذي كان حينئذ واحدا من المواقع الإلكترونية المائة الأكثر تصفحا في تونس.

وصرح التكاري آنذاك أن "أي موقع يدعو إلى الإرهاب أو إلى الجرائم" أو يوجه السباب دون بيان المصدر من واجب الدولة أن تحجبه مؤقتا إلى أن يتناسب مع مقتضيات القانون والآداب العامة في هذه الدولة". ولا يزال موقع الجزيرة نت محجوبا منذ ذلك التاريخ.

اعتصام صحفيين

من ناحية أخرى قال عدد من الصحفيين الأعضاء في نقابة الصحفيين التونسيين في بيان إنهم اعتصموا أمس الاثنين أمام مقر النقابة "للاحتجاج على التعتيم الإعلامي الممارس على الاحتجاجات" وطالبوا السلطات "بفسح المجال أمام وسائل الإعلام الرسمية وغير الرسمية لتناول هذه القضية بكل موضوعية ودون ضغوط".

وفي سياق متصل أعلن الحزب الديمقراطي التقدمي وحركة التجديد المعارضان في بيانين ليلة الاثنين أن السلطات صادرت العددين الأخيرين من الصحيفتين الأسبوعيتين الناطقتين باسميهما "الموقف" و"الطريق الجديد".

توسع الاحتجاجات

ميدانيا، قمعت الشرطة أمس مظاهرة حاشدة وسط العاصمة نظمتها نقابات عمالية للتعبير عن تضامنها مع أهالي سيدي بوزيد، كما جابت مظاهرات احتجاجية مدن القصرين في الوسط، وفِريَانَة ومِدنين وقابس جنوبًا، ومَكثَرْ شمالا.

وطالب المتظاهرون بتحقيق فرص تنمية وضمانِ الحق في العمل، كما أدانوا ما وصفوه بالفساد، ولجوء السلطات للأسلوب الأمني في التعامل مع المحتجين.
واشتبك مئات المتظاهرين مع الشرطة أمام مقرّ الاتحاد العام التونسي للشغل بالعاصمة، بعدما حاولوا كسر الحاجز الأمني للتظاهر في قلب العاصمة، مما أدى إلى سقوط بعض الجرحى.

وهتف المتظاهرون في المسيرة بشعارات معادية للتمديد مثل "حريات حريات.. لا رئاسة مدى الحياة"، وطالبوا برفع القيود عن الحرية وتشغيل العاطلين هاتفين "شغل.. حرية.. كرامة وطنية"، ونددوا بلجوء الشرطة للقوة هاتفين "يا مواطن شوف شوف.. الإرهاب بالمكشوف".

وحذّر سياسيون معارضون من مخاطر اللجوء إلى القوة لقمع المظاهرات السلمية، وطالبوا بالإفراج عن المعتقلين وفك الحصار الأمني المفروض على سيدي بوزيد والمناطق المجاورة.

وقال رئيس حركة النهضة المحظورة راشد الغنوشي إنه من واجب التنظيمات السياسية والحقوقية أن تتحمل مسؤوليتها إزاء هذه التطورات حيث إنها لم تتوحد حسب قوله للدفاع عن سكان سيدي بوزيد.

يذكر أن الاحتجاجات أدت حتى الآن إلى سقوط قتيل بمدينة منزل بوزيان بسيدي بوزيد وعشرات الجرحى بعد أن شهدت هذه المنطقة أعنف اشتباكات مع الشرطة.

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/29AE3270-7DB0-40BB-B339-4C30346E8754.htm.

الحرب الباردة لا تزال مستعرة

26/12/2010 م

الولايات المتحدة لا تزال تسعى لجذب دول شرقية
الحرب الباردة لا تزال مستعرة

قامت الولايات المتحدة بمحاولات حثيثة لإغراء أوكرانيا لترك الدوران في الفلك الروسي والانضمام إلى المعسكر الغربي، هذا ما كشفته البرقيات الدبلوماسية التي سربها موقع ويكيليكس المنادي بشفافية عمل الحكومات.

تقول مجلة دير شبيغل الألمانية التي نشرت الوثيقة إن مستشار الأمن القومي الأميركي جيمس جونز -الذي قاتل حلفاء الاتحاد السوفياتي في حرب فيتنام- كان يخطط لجذب الرئيس الأوكراني الجديد فيكتور يانوكوفيتش إلى معسكر الولايات المتحدة خلال زيارته أوكرانيا في أوائل العام الجاري.

السفير الأميركي في العاصمة الأوكرانية كييف جون تيفت اقترح أن يتم تقديم عرض صداقة سخي إلى الرئيس الأوكراني عندما يقابله جيمس. كان برنامج جونز يقضي بأن يقول للرئيس الأوكراني "إن إدارة الرئيس باراك أوباما تتطلع للتعاون معكم في كافة المجلات".

دعم سياسي

تقول المجلة إن المحللين الذين درسوا البرقيات الدبلوماسية المسربة بينوا كيف كانت الولايات المتحدة تدعم الرئيس السابق فيكتور يوتشينكو -منافس يانوكوفيتش- لسنين طويلة، ولكن الآن وبعد وصوله إلى السلطة ورغم أنه معروف بصلاته القوية مع الروس، فإن الأميركيين يعملون ما في وسعهم لمنع يانوكوفيتش وبلاده ذات الخمسة وأربعين مليون نسمة من إعادة علاقاتها القوية مع جارتها العملاقة روسيا.

يذكر أن حماس الأميركيين تجاه يوتشينكو قد خَفَتَ بعد أن استلمت وزيرة الخارجية الأميركية هيلاري كلينتون تقارير بأن حكومته تفتقر إلى القدرة والإرادة على حل مشاكل أوكرانيا الاقتصادية، وأن بقاء الحالة الاقتصادية في البلاد على ما هي عليه يصب في مصلحة روسيا في المقام الأول.

كما تقول المجلة إن شعبية يوتشينكو -الذي فاز بفضل الدعم الأميركي في انتخابات عام 2004 التي أعقبت ما تعرف بالثورة البرتقالية- كانت في انحسار مستمر، وإن محاولاته لضم بلاده إلى حلف الناتو لم تحض بتأييد شعبي كاف وبالتالي باءت بالفشل.

آمال معقودة

السفير تيفت كتب في إحدى البرقيات قائلا إن تنصيب السفير الأوكراني السابق في روسيا كوسفانتف هريشينكو وزيرا للخارجية في الحكومة الجديدة قد يكون سبيل الولايات المتحدة لجر أوكرانيا إلى معسكرها، على اعتبار أن هريشينكو صديق لتيفت ومنفتح على الولايات المتحدة إلى حد كبير.

يعلق تيفت على تنصيب هريشينكو قائلا "قد يكون ذلك مؤشرا عمليا على أن العلاقات (الأوكرانية) مع موسكو سوف تتخذ طابعا إيجابيا بدون أن تحرق أوكرانيا جسورها مع الغرب".

المصجر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/5C15B184-A2CF-4850-AB62-36A81D9C65B5.htm.

حماس تتهم السلطة بالتلويح بالإبعاد

26/12/2010 م

الجزيرة نت-رام الله

اتهمت حركة المقاومة الإسلامية (حماس) السلطة الفلسطينية بالتلويح للعشرات من قياداتها في الضفة الغربية بالإبعاد، وذلك خلال استدعائهم بشكل جماعي إلى مقر المخابرات الفلسطينية في مدينة البيرة السبت.

وقال القيادي بالحركة في رام الله حسين أبو كويك إن الأجهزة الأمنية وجهت استدعاءات لنحو خمسين من قيادات حماس في الضفة الغربية، ولوحت بإبعادهم في اجتماع موسع جرى لمدة ساعتين في مقر المخابرات بمدينة البيرة وسط الضفة الغربية.

وأضاف أبو كويك للجزيرة نت "كان من الواضح أن الموضوع لا يعدو كونه رسالة لقيادة حركة حماس، ردا على تهديدات الحركة بإدراج أسماء المعتقلين السياسيين في سجون السلطة في قائمة المطالب بهم ضمن صفقة شاليط".

ووصف القيادي في حماس استدعاءات السلطة وتلويحها بالإبعاد بأنها "عملية مهاترة" مضيفا "قالوا سنحضر لكم استمارات وسجلوا فيها البلد الذي تريدون الإبعاد إليه كي تطالب بكم حماس بعد ذلك..".

وقال أبو كويك إن قيادات الحركة عبروا عن احتجاجهم، وأضاف "أبلغناهم بأن هذا ليس أسلوبا للتعامل فيما بيننا وإذا كانت هناك مشكلة مع قيادة حماس تواصلوا معها ضمن مشروع المصالحة بشكل رسمي وليس بهذه الطريقة".

ومن بين القيادات التي تم استدعاؤها: فرحات أسعد وحسين أبو كويك وعزيز كايد وأسامة الحمد ومحمد عمر حمدان وخالد غيظان وخليل برافيلي وأحمد زيد ويوسف كفاية وإسماعيل الواوي وخلدون البرغوثي.

وبرر أبو كويك تهديدات حماس بإدراج أسماء المعتقلين السياسيين إلى جانب قائمة الأسرى الذين تطالب بالإفراج عنهم من سجون الاحتلال مقابل إطلاق سراح شاليط، بأنها جاءت تعبيرا عن استفحال معاناة المعتقلين في سجون السلطة وخاصة المضربين عن الطعام.

وعبر عن اعتقاده بأن تلك التصريحات لم تكن جدية، لكنها جاءت لإشعار الرأي العام بخطورة الحال التي وصل إليها المعتقلون.

ووفق مصادر رسمية في مكتب نواب حركة حماس في رام الله، فإن عدد المعتقلين من عناصر ومؤيدي الحركة في سجون السلطة تجاوز ستمائة معتقل حتى اليوم.

وقالت حركة حماس في بيان لها، إن التصعيد الذي تقوم به السلطة ضد عناصرها في الضفة الغربية يأتي في ظل استمرار أزمة إضراب ثمانية معتقلين من أنصارها عن الطعام منذ نهاية نوفمبر/ تشرين الثاني الماضي للمطالبة بالإفراج عنهم تنفيذا لأحكام قضائية.

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/0E8DD3A7-D90A-4DEA-A2FE-FD4A8FD297F0.htm.

وزراء إسرائيليون يرجحون هجوما بغزة

26/12/2010 م

رجح عدد من وزراء الحكومة الإسرائيلية احتمال إقدام الجيش على شن حرب جديدة على قطاع غزة.

وكرر أكثر من وزير أنه لن يكون أمام إسرائيل من خيار سوى "توجيه ضربة قوية لحركة (المقاومة الإسلامية) حماس وباقي الفصائل التي تطلق الصواريخ".

وفي هذا السياق, قال وزير الصناعة والتجارة بنيامين بن إليعازر "لن يسمح لحماس وللفصائل الفلسطينية بتنغيص حياة الإسرائيليين بهجماتهم أو بزراعة العبوات على طول الحدود". وأضاف "إسرائيل ستجعلهم يدفعون ثمنا باهظا جراء ذلك".

من جهته قال سيلفان شالوم القائم بأعمال رئيس الوزراء إن إسرائيل "لن تسمح بالعودة للوضع الذي ساد قبل عملية الرصاص المصبوب قبل عامين وإنه إذا استمر الوضع الراهن على ما هو عليه وتواصل إطلاق الصواريخ وتهريبها إلى القطاع فلن يكون أمام إسرائيل سوى الرد بقوة أشد مما حدث قبل عامين".

كما قال بن إليعازر في مستهل الجلسة الأسبوعية لمجلس الوزراء "مادامت المفاوضات السياسية معطلة فإن الزمن يعمل في غير صالح إسرائيل, واعتراف دول أميركا اللاتينية بدولة فلسطين هو مؤشر على وضع إسرائيل بالعالم".

شهيدان

جاء ذلك بينما استشهد فلسطينيان من سرايا القدس الجناح المسلح في حركة الجهاد الإسلامي بعد اشتباك مع قوة خاصة إسرائيلية شرق مدينة خان يونس في جنوب قطاع غزة.

وأشارت السرايا في بيان لها إلى أن الشهيدين، وهما مصعب أبو روك ومحمود النجار، رصدا قوة إسرائيلية تحاول التسلل داخل القطاع، فاشتبكا معها وأوقعا خسائر كبيرة فيها، على حد قول البيان.

وذكر البيان أن وحدة إسناد من المقاومين تمكنت من إطلاق ست قذائف "آر بي جي" على آليات إسرائيلية توغلت في محيط منطقة الاشتباك.

من ناحية أخرى اشتبكت قوات الاحتلال مع عشرات الفلسطينيين والمتضامنين الأجانب خلال احتجاج على حاجز قلنديا بين القدس ورام الله.

وكان العشرات قد تظاهروا بدعوة من اللجنة العشبية لمقاومة الجدار ضد الاستيطان والجدار العازل، وحاولوا اقتحام الحاجز باتجاه مدينة القدس المحتلة.

لكن الجنود منعوهم باستخدام قنابل الغاز المسيل للدموع. وقد اعتقلت قوات الاحتلال خمسة من المتضامنين الأجانب ونقلتهم إلى داخل الحاجز.

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/A1D679BE-2DF0-45E9-973F-27673B85F1C8.htm.

أكبر جدارية حروفية عربية بإسبانيا

26/12/2010 م

محسن الرملي-مدريد

انتهى الفنان والخطاط السوري خالد الساعي من إنجاز أول وأكبر جدارية تشكيلية حروفية عربية في إسبانيا، حيث يبلغ طولها سبعة أمتار وارتفاعها مترين، وذلك لصالح مؤسسة البيت العربي في قلب العاصمة مدريد. ويعد الساعي من أفضل الخطاطين في العالم.

وعلى مدى قرابة العشرة أيام من العمل المتواصل تابعته فيها العديد من وسائل الإعلام الإسبانية والأجنبية وزارته خلالها وفود من طلبة الفنون في الجامعات، لم يوفر الساعي جهداً في شرح معاني وأبعاد عمله إضافة إلى كل ما يتعلق بالخط العربي تاريخياً وثقافياً.

وقال في تصريحات صحفية "الخط العربي هو فن بصري وصوتي ومعرفي، والحرف العربي بحد ذاته بناء تشكيلي لا حدود لطاقاته وإمكانياته بغض النظر عن ارتباطاته بالمعنى الدلالي واللغوي".

وأكد في حديث للجزيرة أن لهذا العمل قيمة ثقافية وفنية وحتى أدبية مضاعفة عما أنجزه من قبل، وقال "لقد سررت باختيارهم لي لهذه المهمة واعتبرتها تحدياً، لأن لها شروطا ومناخات خاصة، وأن العمل سيكون في واجهة أكبر صالات مؤسسة ثقافية كبيرة كهذه لها أنشطة وجمهور دائمان، ومرتبطة بالثقافة العربية، كما أنه أول عمل من نوعه في إسبانيا وهي بلد عريق في الفنون التشكيلية".

جدارية العين

وعن سبب تركيزه على حرف العين في هذه الجدارية، أوضح الساعي أنه عدا كون مؤسسة البيت العربي قد اتخذت من حرف العين رمزاً لشعارها، فقد اكتشف باللغة أن حرف العين له 27 معنى، وأحد دلالات العين هو كلمة (العربي)، كما ضمنت في اللوحة سبعة أبيات من الشعر العربي الكلاسيكي والحديث لها علاقة بالعين كأبيات لجرير والرصافي وابن الجهم والسياب وغيرهم.

ويسعى الأسلوب الفني لهذه الجدارية إلى مخاطبة متلقيه على اختلاف مستوياتهم، فمن ليس عربيا أو لا يعرف العربية سيجذبه تكوينها وتقنياتها وجمالياتها الفنية، والذي يعرف شيئاً من اللغة سيتهجى بعض الكلمات ودلالاتها بمثابة رسائل، أما الذي له معرفة أكبر فسيجد الإشارات الأدبية عبر الأبيات الشعرية بما تحمله من مضامين وكيفية تعاشقها جمالياً مع اللون والتكوين البصري العام للوحة.

وعن سبب استخدامه لخط الثلث تحديداً، قال الفنان الساعي "لأن خط الثلث هو سيد الخطوط العربية وأصعبها، وهو أشد مراساً، وإمكانياته على التعبير في البناء التشكيلي أعلى، وفي متن العمل اشتغلت على إيحاءات أشكال الحروف، وهذه القدرة مأخوذة مما يتيحه خط الثلث".

وأضاف "العين يمكن أن تكون بشكل (الفنجان) والذي فيه رمز للعروبة وكرم الضيافة، ثم (العين الصادي) أي العطشان الذي يمثل الحنان والعاطفة، و(العين الثعباني) الذي يمثل المراوغة والقوة.. إلى جانب غيرها من الحالات البصرية للحرف مأخوذة من تراث الخط".

فنان ومعرض

يذكر أن الفنان التشكيلي الحروفي خالد الساعي يعد واحداً من أفضل عشرة خطاطين عالميين، وهو حائز على عشرات الجوائز والشهادات تقديراً لأعماله، حيث أقام وما يزال الكثير من المعارض والورش الفنية معلماً لفنون الخط، واقتنت لوحاته كبريات المراكز والمؤسسات والمتاحف في العديد من البلدان والتي يواصل تنقلاته وإقامته بينها حتى الآن.

وكان البيت العربي قد افتتح منذ 21 أكتوبر/ تشرين الأول معرض فنون الخط تحت عنوان "حرية وإبداع.. الخط العربي المعاصر" وسيستمر حتى 31 يناير/ كانون الثاني 2011 ثم ينتقل بعدها لمدينة قرطبة ويضم أعمالا لخمسة من الخطاطين والفنانين العرب، هم حسان مسعودي (1944 العراق)، منير الشعراني (1952 سوريا)، خالد الساعي (1970 سوريا)، نجا المهداوي (1937 تونس)، ريما فرح وهي من أصل سوري فلسطيني ولدت بالأردن عام 1955.

يُشار إلى أن مؤسسة البيت العربي هي هيئة حكومية إسبانية وتم إنشاؤها في يوليو/ تموز 2006 بهدف دعم الدراسات العربية والإسلامية، والمساهمة في إقامة جسر بين العالمين العربي والإسلامي وبين إسبانيا وأوروبا. وتنظم على مدار السنة عددا كبيرا من الفعاليات التي تسعى لتعزيز التعارف والتبادل بين الثقافتين.

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/5838D88C-E29E-4A5A-960F-AD6CA4FA01E0.htm.

كاميرون يصف المسلمين بالمجانين

26/12/2010 م

في معرض كسبه للدعم الأميركي
كاميرون يصف المسلمين بالمجانين

قالت برقيات دبلوماسية أميركية سربها موقع ويكيليكس المناصر لشفافية المعلومات الحكومية إن المحافظين البريطانيين قد وعدوا الأميركيين بأن يكونوا أكثر صرامة مع باكستان في حال فازوا في الانتخابات.

وقد فند المحافظون ثقتهم بقدرتهم على الوفاء بوعدهم بأن طبيعة المناطق التي يعولون عليها في الانتخابات لا تحتوي على بريطانيين مسلمين وبالتالي لا يحتاجون أصواتهم، وبالتالي لن يأتوهم معاتبين في يوم ما.

تقول برقية يعود تاريخها إلى أبريل/ نيسان 2009 إن رئيس الوزراء البريطاني المحافظ ديفد كاميرون قال للمبعوث الأميركي الخاص لأفغانستان ريتشارد هولبروك إنه ضد سياسة الحكومات العمالية في التعامل مع "المسلمين المتشددين ولكن غير المنتمين إلى جماعات مسلحة" ووصف ذلك الأسلوب بأنه يسمح "للمجانين" بالانخراط في المسرح السياسي.

وتذكر البرقية أن كاميرون شدد على أن المليون مسلم بريطاني (معظمهم من البنجاب وكشمير) ليسوا من أنصار طالبان ولكنهم في الوقت نفسه من أنصار قضية كشمير، ولكنه اعترف بأن الحرب على العراق أثرت فيهم وأبرزت عندهم مشاعر معادية.

الهند وباكستان

وفي برقية أخرى كتبها السفير الأميركي في بريطانيا لويس سوسمان أواخر 2009، قال إنه اجتمع مع العضو البارز في حزب المحافظين ليام فوكس (وزير الدفاع البريطاني الحالي) الذي انتقد السياسة الخارجية للحكومات العمالية واتهمها بأنها تعزز اعتقاد الهند –التي هي حليف إستراتيجي لأميركا وإسرائيل- بأن بريطانيا "منحازة لباكستان".

يُذكر أن كاميرون حرص منذ مجيئه للسلطة على بناء علاقة خاصة مع الهند. وانتقد خلال زيارته للهند في يونيو/ حزيران الفائت المخابرات الباكستانية للعبها "على الحبلين" في أفغانستان، في إشارة إلى الاتهامات الأميركية لباكستان بأنها تدعم طالبان في الخفاء. وقد سببت تصريحات كاميرون في حينها أزمة دبلوماسية بين باكستان وبريطانيا والولايات المتحدة.

كاميرون كان قد عبر لوفد نيابي أميركي من حزب المحافظين برئاسة جون ماكين (الذي نافس باراك أوباما في انتخابات الرئاسة الأميركية) عن مخاوفه مما سماه "الإرهاب الداخلي" قائلا أن هناك ستين ألف شخص يسافرون سنويا من بريطانيا إلى باكستان وإن ذلك يحمل تهديدا محتملا لأمن بريطانيا.

آراء كاميرون شجعت ماكين عن الافصاح عن قلق الأميركيين من القضية الباكستانية وقال "لا نعرف ماذا سنفعل مع باكستان".

المصدر: الجزيرة.
الرابط: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/EXERES/723E834C-CF25-494D-8BD2-A6D65EC79DD8.htm.

Four Turkish engineers abducted in Afghanistan

Four Turkish engineers working on a road construction project have been kidnapped in eastern Afghanistan, a government official said on Sunday.

Sunday, 26 December 2010

Four Turkish engineers working on a road construction project have been kidnapped in eastern Afghanistan, a government official said on Sunday.

The latest incident involving the four Turks and their driver occurred in the Dande Patan district of Paktia province, bordering Pakistan, said district chief Niyaz Mohammad Khalil.

"They were involved in road construction and were kidnapped by unknown armed men from a vehicle," Khalil told Reuters.

No other details were immediately available.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=67841.

Turkey, UAE agree to boost trade ties

Davutoglu said that there was a big potential between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates for commercial and economic cooperation.

Sunday, 26 December 2010

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that there was a big potential between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates for commercial and economic cooperation.

Davutoglu and UEA's Foreign Minister Abdallah bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan held a joint press conference after their meeting in Istanbul on Saturday.

Recalling that Turkey and UAE signed a memorandum of understanding to set up a joint cooperation committee in November, Davutoglu said that this committee would contribute to develop relations in politics, economy, trade, culture, consulate and security areas.

Davutoglu said that trade volume between the two countries reached 3.1 billion USD in the first ten months of 2010.

Guest minister, in his part, said that the aim of his visit was to further develop economic and commercial relations, and exchange views for the steps that would be taken in this regard.

Nuhayyan said that he and Davutoglu agreed to exert more efforts to develop cooperation in economy, trade, renewable energy, banking and tourism.

He added that they also discussed regional matters during their meeting.

Upon questions of reporters regarding Turkey-Israeli relations, Davutoglu said that Turkey wanted to be in peace with all countries including Israel too, and conditions to recover relations with Israel were clear.

Stressing that lifting of blockade on Gaza was very important, Davutoglu said that recovery of economic and social life conditions of Palestinian people was a priority for Turkey.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=67834.

Turkey, Syria to hold high-level military meeting

Deputy Chief of Turkish General Staff Gen. Aslan Guner will pay a visit to Damascus, Syria.

Sunday, 26 December 2010

Deputy Chief of Turkish General Staff Gen. Aslan Guner will pay a visit to Damascus, Syria.

Gen. Guner, who will arrive in Damascus on Sunday, will open Turkish Air Martyrdom which has been under construction for a while.

Gen. Guner will also attend a high-level military dialogue meeting between Turkey and Syria. He will pay a three-day visit, and hold several meetings with Syrian officials.

The main agenda item of Gen. Guner's visit will be cooperation on security between the two countries and fight against terrorism.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=67829.

Turkey's support to Macedonia to continue, defense minister says

Gonul is currently paying a two-day visit to Skopje upon an invitation of Macedonian Defense Minister Zoran Konjanovski.

Saturday, 25 December 2010

The Turkish defense minister said on Friday that Turkey would continue to extend support to its friend Macedonia.

Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, who arrived in Macedonia on a two-day formal visit, was welcomed by the country's Defense Minister Zoran Konjanovski with a military ceremony in Skopje.

Following their meeting, the two ministers attended the signing ceremony of a military cooperation agreement between their countries.

Appearing at a joint press conference together with his Macedonian counterpart after the signing ceremony, Turkish Defense Minister Gonul said Turkey and Macedonia had perfect relations in every field.

"Our support to friend and brother Macedonia will continue," he said.

Macedonian Minister Konjanovski said in his part that Macedonia highly appreciated Turkey's support and assistance.

"Turkey is an indispensable friend for Macedonia," Konjanovski said.

Meetings with President and PM

Following his talks at the Macedonian defense ministry, Gonul got together with the country's president Gjorge Ivanov.

Relations between Turkey and Macedonia as well as the latest developments in the region were on the agenda of the gathering.

Turkish National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul also met with Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.

Besides Turkey-Macedonia relations, recent developments in the region were high on agenda of the meeting.

Later, Gonul attended a ceremony in which the Turkish Armed Forces donated military equipment worth of 253 thousand euro to Macedonian army.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=67796.

Israel's Lieberman: PA illegitimate

26/12/2010

JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israel's fiery Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Sunday that Israel should not sign a peace deal with the Western-backed Palestinian government because it is illegitimate.

"It is forbidden for us to reach a comprehensive deal today with the Palestinians. To put it clearly, you have to understand that their government is not legitimate," he told a meeting in Jerusalem of Israeli ambassadors.

Lieberman pointed to the fact that the government of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas had lost control of the Gaza Strip to rival Hamas and postponed elections after its term had expired.

"It is a government that has postponed elections three times, that lost elections, that does not hold elections, does not plan to hold elections and there are no guarantees that next time they do hold elections, that Hamas won't win again," Lieberman said.

He also said the Palestinians would reject any deal from Israel, no matter how generous, and that there were unbridgeable gaps on Israeli security issues.

"Even if we offer the Palestinians Tel Aviv and go back to the 1947 borders, they would find reasons not to sign a peace deal with us," he said.

The Palestinian Authority, dominated by Abbas's secular Fatah movement, has repeatedly postponed national and local elections, while Hamas has refused to let them be held in Gaza.

Hamas, which won a landslide victory in the last parliamentary elections in 2006, has said there can be no new elections without reconciliation with Fatah.

The Islamist movement seized power in Gaza in June 2007 when it ousted forces loyal to Abbas in a week of bloody street battles, the culmination of years of struggle between the two main Palestinian movements.

The two groups struggled for months to reach a unity deal under Egyptian mediation but the efforts collapsed late last year when Hamas refused to agree to a proposal that was signed by Fatah.

Lieberman, the hardline leader of the Yisrael Beitenu party, has been largely sidelined by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in peace talks with the Palestinians.

Direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the first for nearly two years, began in Washington on September 2 but quickly stalled when a 10-month Israeli settlements freeze expired on September 26.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=345637.

MK: World may recognize Palestine soon

26/12/2010

JERUSALEM (AFP) -- In spite of stalled peace talks, the "entire world" could recognize a Palestinian state within a year, a dovish Israeli cabinet minister warned Sunday, urging the resumption of negotiations.

The comments from Industry and Trade Minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer come after Ecuador formally recognized Palestine as an independent state on Friday, following the lead of other South American countries.

Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia gave formal recognition earlier this month while Uruguay said it will do so early in the new year.

"I would not be surprised if within a year the entire world, even the US, recognizes a Palestinian state, then we will have to explain how this happened," Ben Eliezer told reporters ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting.

Israel opposes any recognition of a Palestinian state, saying its establishment must be reached through negotiations and not through unilateral moves.

But with the breakdown of peace talks, the Palestinians have said they are considering new diplomatic options, and welcomed the recognition from the Latin American nations.

Direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the first for nearly two years, began in Washington on September 2. But they quickly stalled, when a 10-month Israeli settlement freeze expired on September 26.

The Palestinians refused to resume negotiations without a new moratorium and on December 7 Washington admitted that it had failed to convince Israel to renew the building ban, despite offering a generous package of incentives.

Ben Eliezer, from the dovish Labor Party, said Israel must do all it can to get talks back on track.

"We must do all everything possible to renew talks with the Palestinians, even if it means a settlement freeze for a few months," he said.

Palestinian negotiators have emphasized a set of alternatives to new talks, including seeking recognition of a Palestinian state along the borders that existed in 1967, before the Six Day War.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=345601.

Paraguay to recognize Palestinian state in '11

27/12/2010

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Joining a growing number of South American nations to support a unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood, Paraguay said it plans to recognize an independent Palestinian state next year, Palestinian officials told reporters on Sunday.

Paraguay's Foreign Minister Hector Lacognata gave a spring 2011 deadline for the country's recognition of a Palestinian state on the lands occupied by Israel in 1967. He made the announcement to the Palestinian ambassador to Paraguay, the Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement.

The nation joins Uruguay in its pledge to recognize a Palestinian state in 2011, while Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador already formalized their full recognition in December.

While the EU declined requests to recognize a Palestinian state, EU nations have slowly upgraded the status of Palestinian representatives to full diplomatic status. Earlier in December, Norway followed the trend and upgraded the PLO mission in Oslo, while Turkey pledged its support for a state on the '67 borders and said it would work diplomatic angles and convince other nations to do the same.

US officials condemned the Brazilian and Argentinian recognitions of a Palestinian state, saying Brazil's decision was "severely misguided" and "regrettable."

Brazil's decision "is regrettable and will only serve to undermine peace and security in the Middle East," charged Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Later in the month the US House of Representatives voted through a motion to prevent the nation's recognition of a unilaterally declared Palestinian state.

Israel warns: World may soon recognize Palestinian state

In spite of stalled peace talks, the "entire world" could recognize a Palestinian state within a year, a dovish Israeli cabinet minister warned Sunday, urging the resumption of negotiations.

"I would not be surprised if within a year the entire world, even the US, recognizes a Palestinian state, then we will have to explain how this happened," Ben Eliezer told reporters ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting.

Israel opposes any recognition of a Palestinian state, saying its establishment must be reached through negotiations and not through unilateral moves.

But with the breakdown of peace talks, the Palestinians have said they are considering new diplomatic options, and welcomed the recognition from the Latin American nations.

Direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the first for nearly two years, began in Washington on September 2. But they quickly stalled, when a 10-month Israeli settlement freeze expired on September 26.

The Palestinians refused to resume negotiations without a new moratorium and on December 7 Washington admitted that it had failed to convince Israel to renew the building ban, despite offering a generous package of incentives.

Ben Eliezer, from the dovish Labor Party, said Israel must do all it can to get talks back on track.

"We must do all everything possible to renew talks with the Palestinians, even if it means a settlement freeze for a few months," he said.

Palestinian negotiators have emphasized a set of alternatives to new talks, including seeking recognition of a Palestinian state along the borders that existed in 1967, before the Six Day War.

AFP contributed to this report

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=345554.

French activists arrested at West Bank protest

27/12/2010

JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Nine French activists were arrested on Sunday during a pro-Palestinian demonstration at a major Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank, police and protest organizers said.

"Our forces today dispersed protesters who were throwing rocks at us and proceeded to arrest nine people, including some foreigners," Israel National Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

"The protest took place at the Qalandiya checkpoint, north of Jerusalem, and the police made arrests after the activists tried to cross the checkpoint," he added.

A spokesman for the French EuroPalestine activist group said nine French citizens were arrested at the demonstration. A Palestinian detained at the protest was later released, he said

On Saturday, another French activist, Layli Ben Saffi, was arrested by the Israeli military during a protest against Israeli settler activity in the West Bank city of Hebron. He was released on Saturday evening.

Some 70 members of the EuroPalestine group have spent the last week in the Palestinian territories on an observer mission, a group spokesman said.

The president of the organization, Olivia Zemor, was deported last Wednesday "on the recommendation of the security services," after being detained at Ben Gurion upon arrival.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=345591.

Hebronites hospitalized by Israeli forces

26/12/2010

HEBRON (Ma’an) -- Two Palestinians were taken to a Jerusalem hospital by Israeli forces after being injured in their car as they passed an Israeli military vehicle, local security sources said.

The men were reportedly fired on in the Wad Al-Ghrus area north of Heron on Wednesday night. Officials identified them as Ismail Saleh Ali Aj-Ja’bari, who sustained a head wound, and Muhammad Amer Subhi Aj-Ja’bari who was injured in the shoulder.

The following day in Hebron, two women and a child were injured when Israeli soldiers entered their homes during a raid in Beit Ummar.

Area spokesman Mohammad Ayyad Awad said the raid occurred in the wake of clashes, which erupted as Israeli forces patrolled the town.

Entering the homes of Fadwa Mohammad Ibrahim Abu Maria, 43, apparently searching for young stone throwers, the mother of five said she was beaten by soldiers and sustained bruises to her face and forehead.

A second woman Awad identified as Muna Abu Maria was injured when she was hit in the foot with a sound bomb by Israeli forces which had taken over the roof of her home during the clashes. Her son, 13-year-old Abed An-Naser Abed Al-Hamid Abu Maria was hit with a sound bomb in the right foot, Awad said, noting all were transferred to the hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile Israeli army had attacked a wedding with gas canisters some of the attendees were hurt and were treated in the field.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=344707.

Fatah man exiled from Jerusalem by Israel

27/12/2010

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Fatah official in Silwan Adnan Gheith received a military order mandating his expulsion from Jerusalem before 5 p.m. on Sunday, Director of Wadi Hilwa Information Center Jawad Siyam told Ma'an.

Gheith's lawyer Rami Othman had appealed to the Israeli military commander of the West Bank two weeks earlier when the initial order was handed down, saying the order had no legal basis.

The order was handed down as an Administrative Decree, enacted by power of the Emergency Defense Orders established under the British Mandate, and banishes Gheith from Jerusalem for a period of four months.

According to activist group the Popular Struggle Organizing Committee, Gheith’s lawyer was informed that the expulsion was intended to curb the official's political activity, "since the security apparatus considers him to be a central instigator of unrest in Silwan," a statement said.

Following the court appeal, and a fax sent to Gheith's lawyer stating the appeal was denied, the official was handed a second notice on Sunday morning, as police ramped up their presence in the Silwan area, with residents expecting at least one home evacuation before the end of the day.

A statement from the PSOC issued a statement, saying "The order is not part of a judicial process, does not include charges and is based on secret material," and said an appeal for an injunction would be filed at the Israeli High Court immediately.

The attempted expulsion of Gheith, 34, comes two weeks after an Israeli court expelled for the second time Hamas MP Mohammed Abu Teir, after four months in jail for defying a previous ban.

He was arrested on June 30 for entering mostly East Jerusalem after the interior ministry stripped him of his residence permit for his activity in the Islamist movement which rules Gaza.

A high court appeal is pending against the ministry's order.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war and unilaterally annexed it shortly after. About 200,000 Palestinians live there.

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=345411.

Gulf countries to meet in Turkey

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council will be held in Turkey

Saturday, 25 December 2010

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdurrahman Hamad Al-Attiyah will visit Turkey between December 27 and 30 upon an invitation by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

In a statement issued Friday, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said that Al-Attiyah will be received by Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Al-Attiyah and Turkish officials will discuss bilateral relations since 2008, the year when a Strategic Dialogue was established, and exchange views on both regional and international issues, the MFA also said.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=67792.

Turkish PM tests Turkey's first electric car

The maximum speed of the electric cars is 135 km, and they can be driven for 160 km with a full battery.

Saturday, 25 December 2010

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan tested Turkey's first electric car on Saturday.

Officials briefed Erdogan about Turkey's first mass production electric car Renault Fluence Z.E. at Prime Ministry residence.

Industry & Trade Minister Nihat Ergun as well as National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul accompanied Erdogan during his test drive.

Erdogan told reporters about the car that it was a very silent vehicle, and easy to drive, adding that the electric cars would started to be sold in 2011.

The maximum speed of the electric cars is 135 km, and they can be driven for 160 km with a full battery.

These zero-emission cars can be charged with a patch cord in business places and houses. They also can be charged in 30 minutes in rapid charging stations. They have low energy cost and high environment sensitivity.

Electric cars are being produced in Oyak Renault factories in Bursa province. Renault has been operating in Turkey for 40 years. Oyak Renault plant has built 15 different models so far, mostly in mid-size compact cars.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=67817.

Ministry launches 'war against Jordan Valley flies'

By Hana Namrouqa

AMMAN - Authorities will start distributing 40,000 flytraps in the Jordan Valley this week as part of a wider campaign to curb the growing nuisance domestic flies pose to area residents and tourists alike.

Under a national campaign launched by the Ministry of Environment on Sunday, authorities will employ environment-friendly methods such as installing traps and planting aromatic trees and plants to drive away the insects, which pose health and environmental hazards.

The comprehensive campaign will also target areas considered as fly hotspots such as landfills and farms, according to the ministry.

Minister of Environment Nasser Shraideh said the campaign will be a collective effort of the Jordan Valley Authority and the ministries of agriculture, municipal affairs, tourism and health.

“Coordinated efforts amongst concerned authorities is vital in order to curb the spread of domestic flies in the Jordan Valley, which is an important area for agricultural produce, tourism, investment and archaeology,” he said in a statement issued by the ministry yesterday.

As part of its battle against Jordan Valley flies, authorities will spray pesticides in the Zara area near the shores of the Dead Sea as well as landfills and barns, Shraideh said.

Officials will also establish a solid and liquid waste treatment plant in Southern Shuneh as part of the campaign, according to Ministry of Environment Spokesperson Isa Shboul.

“The growth in unlicensed landfills in the Jordan Valley is aggravating the situation and attracting more flies. Establishing a treatment plant to properly process waste will help address the problem,” Shboul told The Jordan Times over the phone yesterday, adding that the waste treatment plant is expected to be built in 2011.

The campaign is not the first effort by the Environment Ministry to curb the number of domestic flies. In August 2009, the ministry instituted a crackdown on the use of organic fertilizers in the Jordan Valley while in 2008, major poultry and livestock farms were required to establish treatment plants to sterilize animal waste generated by their facilities to tackle the problem of domestic flies.

Jordan Valley farmers have long used untreated organic fertilizers, which attract domestic flies due to their high percentage of humidity.

No longer exclusively for agriculture, hotels, villas and apartments are being developed in the area, a growing luxury tourism destination, necessitating a quick solution to the problem, officials say.

27 December 2010

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/?news=32940.

IAF weighing participation in municipal polls

By Mohammad Ben Hussein

AMMAN - The Islamic Action Front (IAF) has announced that it will consider taking part in municipal elections next year, despite the party’s boycott of November’s parliamentary polls.

In a meeting on Saturday, the 120-member IAF shura council instructed its executive office to review the party’s position on the municipal elections, which are expected to pave the way for a decentralization policy designed to empower municipalities across the Kingdom.

A decision on participation is expected to be issued during the next party meeting in January, according to Ali Abul Sukkar, president of the IAF shura council, who underlined the need to expand the party’s outreach across the country.

“I call on the executive office to work hard and draw up plans to expand membership. I call for a special meeting to discuss plans to improve the performance of the party,” he said in an address to the council, which convened at IAF headquarters.

During the gathering, party leaders took turns criticizing what they called a “lack of reforms” in the country.

In a statement issued following the meeting, the former MP decried what he described as a “monopoly of power by the government and security apparatuses”, claiming that the government’s stated reform drive serves only as “public relations”.

Abul Sukkar also criticized the government and Parliament for their response to a fatwa issued by the party’s religious office on Jordan’s involvement in Afghanistan.

“I am perplexed by Parliament’s efforts to silence the voices of justice and suppress freedom of expression rather than carry out its monitoring and legislative roles,” he said in an address to the shura council.

Abul Sukkar said the IAF is ready to engage in dialogue with “any party” to achieve political and social reform in the country.

IAF Secretary General Hamzah Mansour described the country’s political and economic climate as “possibly the worst in the Kingdom’s history”, calling the parliamentary elections a “failure of democracy”.

“The current political situation is at the core of our troubles: The executive authority is monopolizing decisions, governments are formed on a non-democratic basis and security forces are present in all parts of life while the legislative authority is absent,” Mansour said in a speech, the text of which was posted on the party’s website.

The IAF, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, held elections at its 24 branches earlier this year to choose shura council representatives, with party “doves” gaining a 70 per cent majority over the more hard-line “hawks”.

The party has recently witnessed bitter divisions between the hawkish camp, which favours stronger ties with Hamas, and doves, who wish to sever the party’s links with the Palestinian Islamist group.

27 December 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/?news=32944.

Watchdog reports irregularities in recent Jordan polls

Mon, 27 Dec 2010

Amman - Jordan's state-funded National Center for Human Rights (NCHR) on Monday reported violations in last month's parliamentary elections that cast doubt on its fairness, transparency and credibility.

The November 9 polling process was marred by a growing phenomenon of vote-buying, which the panel overseeing the elections "failed to stop," the NCHR said in an 111-page report.

"The buying of votes had had a clearly negative impact on the electorate's will as well as on the soundness and credibility of the voting process," said the report, which was based on remarks recorded by 1,250 observers from over 50 civil society institutions.

The vote-buying was aggravated by abuse of programs to help the illiterate vote. That, the report said, violated provisions of the constitution, it added.

The center also cited the presence of a large number of policemen and election panels at the polling stations "which ran counter to the assumed neutrality of the executive branch of the government supervising the polls."

The report came days after the government of Prime Minister Samir Rifai won a confidence vote in the newly elected lower house of parliament, with an unprecedented majority of 111-8.

It also came on the heels of media reports that the country's human rights watchdog had delayed its evaluation of the elections because its chairman, former prime minister Anan Badran, had come under pressure from Rifai not to criticize the latest polling process.

The NCHR said the 2010 temporary election law achieved "some progress" compared with the 2007 legislation, particularly with regard to increasing the number of seats allocated to women.

"But, at the same time, the center believes this temporary law had contributed to a weak representation of the political and popular forces and spectrums in the national assembly and helped to limit the fairness and transparency of the elections," the report said.

The results of the polls, which produced a majority made up of government loyalists and lawmakers with tribal affiliations, sparked riots throughout the country that lasted for several days.

The elections were boycotted by the country's main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood movement, and its political arm, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), which demanded the passage of certain political reforms, including the adoption of a proportional representation system.

The NCHR report recommended that the temporary election law be reviewed by the parliament to come up with permanent legislation that ensures equality among voters and candidates and could be administered by an independent, credible and neutral entity.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359815,irregularities-recent-jordan-polls.html.

Jordan clears 83,000 mines on Syria border

Agence France-Presse
Amman, December 27, 2010

Jordan has destroyed 83,000 out of 136,000 landmines it laid along the border with Syria in the 1970s, an official said on Monday. "The kingdom removed 83,000 landmines on the Jordanian-Syrian border under a project that started in 2008," said Mohammed Breikat, head of the National Committee for Demining and Rehabilitation.

"The project, conducted by the Norwegian People's Aid under the supervision of the NCDR, aims at clearing 10 kilometers (3.8 square miles) of land or 93 minefields," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Petra news agency.

"The land can be used for agriculture and investment."

Breikat said more than 200 people were working on the project, as he announced Japan had donated his organization 357,000 dollars to clear the anti-tank and anti-personnel mines.

Jordan began clearing minefields as early as 1993, one year before it signed a peace treaty with Israel.

The desert kingdom then had more than 300,000 landmines strewn across its territory, most of them in the Jordan Valley next to Israel, and also near its eastern border with Iraq and northern border with Syria.

Most of the mines were laid during successive Israeli-Arab conflicts.

Source: Hindustan Times.
Link: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Jordan-clears-83-000-mines-on-Syria-border/Article1-643518.aspx.

China, Jordan sign 4.5 mln USD agreement

AMMAN, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- Jordan and China on Saturday signed an economic and technical cooperation agreement under which China provides the Arab kingdom with 4.5 million U.S. dollars to implement development projects.

The agreement was signed by Jordan's Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Jafar Hassan and China's Deputy Minister of Commerce Chen Jian, who was in Jordan for an official visit.

Hassan commended the bilateral distinguished tie, voicing thanking and appreciation for the grant from the Chinese government, according to a statement issued by the ministry.

The minister stressed Jordan' keenness to develop ties with China, adding that the bilateral ties witness distinguished development in all political, economic and cultural fields.

The minister added that the signing of the agreement represents the two countries' keenness to foster bilateral ties in different fields, especially in light of current regional and international circumstances.

The Chinese official expressed China's commitment to continue to provide technical and financial support to Jordan in different fields.

According to the ministry, China's support to Jordan in loans and grants from 2009 to2010 stood at 119.5 million U.S. dollars.

Source: Xinhua.
Link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/business/2010-12/26/c_13664623.htm.

Gas heater suffocates Jordan wedding night couple

AFP, Dec 25, 2010

AMMAN: A newly-wed Jordanian couple died from suffocation on Saturday after they left a gas heater turned on overnight, a security official said.

"The newlyweds died from suffocation at dawn on Saturday after they inhaled carbon dioxide emitted from the gas heater in their room," in the northern province of Zarqa, said local civil defense chief Colonel Mohammed al-Malaba.

"The 24-year-old groom and his 16-year-old bride had just celebrated their wedding yesterday (Friday)," Malaba said, quoted by Jordan's state news agency Petra.

Such tragedies are common in Jordan where many families use low-cost oil and gas heaters. In 2009, eight people were killed in 60 similar accidents.

Source: The Times of India.
Link: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Gas-heater-suffocates-Jordan-wedding-night-couple-/articleshow/7163920.cms.

Four men charged with recruiting fighters for Al Qaeda

WARNING: Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

By Rana Husseini

AMMAN - The State Security Court (SSC) prosecutor has charged four men with recruiting individuals to join Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.

The four men named in the charge sheet are Issam Barqawi, known as Abu Mohammad Al Maqdessi, Iyad Quneibi, Ayman Abul Rub and Baha Edin Alan, who is at large.

The three men have been in detention since September, according to the charge sheet.

The four men were also charged with plotting illegal acts that would ruin the Kingdom’s relations with other countries, recruiting men from Jordan to join terrorist organization abroad and collecting funds for terrorist groups in violation of the Anti-Money Laundering Law.

The charge sheet said the main suspect in the case, Barqawi, adopted the takfiri ideology and has been spreading his ideas among extremist groups and the general public over the past few years.

Barqawi had issued several fatwas (religious edicts) and published articles on Al Qaeda network websites and other websites promoting jihad, according to the charge sheet.

The charge sheet said Barqawi met with a Kuwaiti man and collected funds to help Abu Mussab Zarqawi’s wife buy a house.

Zarqawi, who was wanted in Jordan on several charges, including the terrorist attacks against three Amman hotels in 2005 that left over 60 people killed, was killed in Iraq in 2007.

In May 2010, Barqawi went to Quneibi’s house and they agreed to collect money for Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, the charge sheet added.

“Quneibi gave Barqawi JD850 for the fighters in Afghanistan and he contacted an Al Qaeda fighter through the Internet,” the charge sheet noted.

Barqawi also supervised the recruitment of the third defendant, Abul Rub, and trained him on raising his physical fitness so that he could join the fighters in Afghanistan, the charge sheet said.

Meanwhile, the fourth defendant Alan volunteered to travel to Afghanistan and deliver financial support to Al Qaeda fighters there, the charge sheet added.

The three defendants were arrested shortly after authorities received a tip about their illegal activities, according to the charge sheet.

A senior judicial source told The Jordan Times that the SSC is expected to set a date soon to start trying the defendants.

“It is still not clear when the trial will commence but we expect it to be soon,” the source said.

24 December 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/?news=32912.

Campus clashes mark student council elections

By Thameen Kheetan

AMMAN - The University of Jordan (UJ) on Thursday witnessed tribal-based violence and riots as students elected their representatives for the coming year.

Stones, litter, pieces of wood and glass covered parts of the UJ campus near the faculties of business, law, arts and educational sciences following clashes between hundreds of students belonging to different tribes just before the results were announced late Saturday.

No casualties were reported, as the students left the campus and many continued their celebration on nearby streets.

The student council election, in which 408 candidates competed, marked the third since the UJ administration decided to make the student body fully elected, after appointing half the members and speaker in the previous seven years.

The polls, in which 78 seats were garnered by a mixture of tribal, Islamist and independent representatives, had witnessed clashes earlier in the day near the business faculty between students belonging to different tribes, where at least one student suffered tear gas inhalation, according to bystanders.

An eyewitness told The Jordan Times that campus security personnel fired tear gas to disperse the students, while the UJ administration claimed that outsiders were responsible for the evening clashes as well as the tear gas.

Civil Defense Department personnel rushed to the scene with an ambulance and treated one student for tear gas inhalation, while the faculty building that was serving as a polling center was closed and voting was briefly suspended.

Abed Kharabsheh, UJ vice president and head of the elections committee, said outsiders managed to bypass security measures and illegally enter the campus to incite the crowds and spark violence.

He insisted that UJ students acted in a “civilized and democratic manner” and that the elections had been going smoothly.

Kharabsheh said the tear gas incident had “no significant influence” over the electoral process, adding that university security apprehended the perpetrator and handed him over to the police.

The National Campaign for Defending Students Rights (Thabahtoona), however, claimed that the polls were indicative of a “failure of higher education policies”.

“Restrictions on student freedoms, the one-person, one-vote system and the crackdown on student movements will only lead to entrenching sub-national sentiments and more university violence,” the youth campaign, that is backed by leftist and Islamist opposition parties, said in a statement, a copy of which was made available to The Jordan Times.

Students at the UJ Aqaba branch will head to polls on Sunday to choose the remaining 15 members of the student body, while 10 candidates had already won by acclamation in several faculties at the main campus in the capital.

Over 35,000 students are enrolled in the two branches of the university.

24 December 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/?news=32913.

Prince Ali says he plans to boost sport in Arab world

AMMAN (Petra) –– HRH Prince Ali on Thursday said that if he was elected as Asia’s vice president on FIFA’s executive committee, he would work to boost the sport of football in the Arab world. In an interview with CNN Arabic, the Prince expressed hope to receive Qatar’s backing for his bid to the FIFA post, saying his election will serve the Gulf state as well as the entire region. Stating that the main purpose of his candidacy for election, slated for January 6 in Doha, is to bring change to and restore the reputation of the international football body, Prince Ali said he has the expertise to put the sport of football into the right direction. The Prince highlighted the achievements Jordan has made in developing youth and women’s football. In October, Prince Ali, president of the Jordan Football Association and the West Asian Football Federation, officially announced his nomination for the FIFA position.

24 December 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/?news=32898.

Paris to recognize Ouattara's envoy

Mon Dec 27, 2010

The French government has ramped up pressure on Ivory Coast's incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo to admit defeat, saying it would recognize his rival's envoy to Paris.

Spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry Bernard Valero said Paris along with other members of the international community recognized Alassane Ouattara as the winner of the recent election over Gbagbo.

Paris said it would therefore recognize Ouattara's envoy over that of the embattled incumbent Ivorian president.

Following the signal, supporters of Ivory Coast's presidential claimant Ouattara peacefully took control of the Paris Embassy.

Ouattara's supporters took over the French Embassy in Yamoussoukro after supporters of Gbagbo departed, a police source said on Monday.

“They have taken control of the embassy which was empty," AFP quoted the unnamed police source as saying. "They are indeed Ouattara supporters."

“We did not damage anything, we just removed Gbagbo's portrait from the wall," said Marcel Youpeh, who represents the pro-Ouattara group RHDP in France.

“We no longer recognize those who were named by Gbagbo, they must go. What's more France no longer recognizes them either. Ivoirians have come to say they've had enough," Youpeh added.

The decision to recognize a new envoy in Paris came a day after French authorities confiscated an official plane belonging to Gbagbo at Basel airport.

France, Ivory Coast's former colonial ruler, along with the rest of the international community, have been calling on Gbagbo to step down as they see Ouattara as the rightful winner of last month's presidential polls in the West African country.

The Ivorian president, however, has so far shown reluctance to hand over power despite threats of military force against him.

Gbagbo turned the warnings around, saying that Ivory Coast could face another civil war should Western African countries attempt to overthrow him by force.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157448.html.

Asia 1 aid ship for Gaza eyes Egypt's OK

Tue Dec 28, 2010

Asia's first aid ship for Gaza Strip, which seeks to break the Israeli siege of the impoverished coastal sliver, is prepared to depart for the Egyptian port of El Arish.

The Sierra Leone-flagged Asia 1, which is currently docked at the Syrian port of Latakia, awaits the green light from Egyptian authorities before setting sail to El Arish where its cargo is to be carried over land to Gaza, reports indicate.

The "Asia to Gaza Solidarity Caravan" started its journey in the Indian capital, New Delhi. It has passed through Iran, Turkey, Lebanon and Syria so far.

The Gaza-bound vessel will carry one million dollars worth of medicine, foodstuffs and toys.

Fifteen countries are participating in the convoy which started from India, making its way through Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Syria. They plan to enter the enclave on December 28 after traveling through Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt.

The coastal strip has been under a crippling Israeli siege since June 2007.

Some 40 percent of the 1.5 million impoverished people of Gaza are jobless as Israel imposed the siege on the sliver since June 2007.

The embargo persists while Gaza is far from recovering from the December 2008-January 2009 Israeli war that claimed the lives of over 1,400 Palestinians, inflicting a damage of above $1.6 billion on the enclave's economy.

The United Nations recently expressed concern that more than 80 percent of people of Gaza depend on relief supplies for survival.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157491.html.

Israel: No Palestine, no refugee return

Tue Dec 28, 2010

Israeli prime minister has ruled out the idea of a full-fledged Palestinian state and refugees' right to return to their homeland.

On Monday, Benjamin Netanyahu said Tel Aviv would not divide al-Quds (Jerusalem) -- the eastern part of which is wanted by the Palestinians as the capital of their future state, AFP reported.

Netanyahu said he wanted a demilitarized Palestinian state. The Israeli premier also said he wanted Palestinians to renounce refugees' right to return to their homes.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has rejected the Israeli proposals.

Israel fabricated its existence in 1948 during full-scale military offensives against the Arab world, forcing 711,000 Palestinians to leave their homeland. 2008 estimates put the number of Palestinian refugees at over 4.6 million.

In 1967 and during, what became to known as, the Six-Day War, Tel Aviv went on to occupy and later annex the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, East al-Quds and the Gaza Strip in a move not recognized by the international laws.

Israel carried out a self-proclaimed withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, but has been keeping the coastal sliver under recurrent attacks, notably the intense ones at the turn of 2009, which killed more than 1,400 Palestinians.

Besides East al-Quds as the capital, the future Palestinian state is expected to comprise the West Bank and Gaza.

US-brokered talks between Israel and the PA broke down in September after Tel Aviv refused to extend a partial freeze on its construction and expansion of illegal Jewish settlements on the occupied Palestinian lands.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157489.html.

US blizzard to wreak havoc in E Canada

Mon Dec 27, 2010

A powerful snowstorm which paralyzed much of northeast America is heading toward eastern Canada where it has already begun to dump huge amounts of snow.

The storm that pummeled northeast US on Sunday subsided on December 27 and moved toward eastern coast of Canada with the same gust of winds and frosty chill, US media reported.

The blizzard crippled large areas of northeast America and shut down major New York airports, shuttering transports and stranding holiday passengers at airports.

Some 2,000 flights were canceled in America's blizzard-hit region.

Meanwhile, officials in eastern Canada said the blizzard was already dumping heavy amounts of snow and forcing the cancellation of flights from Fredericton and Moncton (two cities in the eastern province of New Brunswick). Some 40,000 homes lost electricity, AFP reported.

According to the report, the weather service predicted "winds with gusts upwards of 55 miles per hour (90 km/h) will cause widespread blowing snow, which will reduce visibilities to near zero in these regions."

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157486.html.

Talking to Israel great deception: AL

Mon Dec 27, 2010

The Arab League (AL) chief says negotiating with Israel as it continues to expand its settlements in the occupied Palestinian lands equals going along with political legerdemain.

“Negotiating under settlement expansion is a great deception,” Amr Moussa, the secretary general of the regional organization, told a press conference in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Monday, dpa reported.

Tel Aviv has insisted on talking to the Palestinian Authority (PA) without any preconditions.

The Palestinians, who say Tel Aviv's construction of illegal Jewish settlement units on the occupied territories is meant to prevent the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, insist on a complete freeze on the settlement activities as a prerequisite.

“…how do we negotiate on land being eroded?" Moussa asked.

Tel Aviv refused to extend a partial freeze on the settlement activities in late September, thus stalling direct talks with the PA that had resumed earlier that month in the United States.

The Palestinian people "are steadfast and patient, but suffer a lot because of the occupation and repressive actions,” the AL chief said on the anniversary of Tel Aviv's December 2008-January 2009 war on the Gaza Strip, which killed more than 1,400 Palestinians.

“I visited Gaza and saw the situation for myself. It was a painful thing to see," he said.

He repeated the organization's insistence on an end to Israel's siege of Gaza, which has been depriving the 1.5-million Palestinians there of food, fuel and other necessities since mid-June 2007.

Moussa said the issue of Middle East “peace” and Palestine would top the body's 2011 agenda.

The comments came amid a groundswell of international support for the Palestinians in which several world nations, including Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador have said they recognize a Palestinian state and reports have pointed to Uruguay and Paraguay's intention to take the same measure in the future.

The recognition would be based on the Palestinian borders prior to the 1967 Six-Day War, when Tel Aviv captured the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, East al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip alongside expanses of other Arab territories.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157485.html.

Thai army threatens Somali pirates

Mon Dec 27, 2010

Authorities in Thailand have threatened Somali pirates with a crushing attack should they refuse to release a hijacked Thai-flagged cargo ship and its 27 crew members.

An unnamed top military commander in Thailand called on the pirates to release the vessel, warning that the Thai army would attack the pirates and release the ship and all its crew members, a Press TV correspondent reported.

The commander also explained that the government policy in Thailand would not allow ransom pay to criminals.

Meanwhile, a source close to the hijackers said the pirates would kill the hostages should Bangkok refuse to pay the ransom demanded.

Somali pirates seized the 20,377-ton vessel on Saturday as it was en route to Bangladesh from the United Arab Emirates.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157437.html.

UK Paras on secret Afghan missions

Mon Dec 27, 2010

The British army has assigned paratroopers to missions in Afghanistan, for the first time in more than 50 years, it has been revealed.

Paratroopers from the first Battalion the Parachute Regiment dropped from RAF Hercules planes onto areas in and around the southern province of Helmand to take on unsuspecting Taliban insurgents, British media reported.

The troops used low-level parachutes, allowing them to jump from just 250 feet.

“These are small ­operations with no more than a company group. They go out the door to secure ground and attack the enemy,” a source said.

Paratroopers have not jumped into action since the Suez crisis in 1956. All three Parachute ­Regiment battalions are in southern Afghanistan.

More than 100 troopers have taken part in secret missions in the war-wracked country over recent months.

The war there has claimed 102 British troops' lives so far this year.

The British military's death toll in Afghanistan has topped 347 since the 2001 US-led invasion of the country.

Britain has deployed almost 10,000 troops in Afghanistan.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/157434.html.

Family of Chechen rebel leader murdered in Dubai 'forgives' killers

Mon, 27 Dec 2010

Dubai - The family of Chechen rebel commander Sulim Yamadayev have been reconciled with his killers in Dubai, the newspaper Gulf News reported on Monday.

"We came to an agreement with them and have forgiven them; that is what we do in Chechnya. Everyone has to be forgiven," said Muslim Aliyev, Yamadayev's cousin.

Aliyev did not say which party the family had reached an agreement with the killers.

Yamadayev was shot in the back of the head in March 2009 in a parking lot in Dubai, where he was living at the time. Two people were sentenced to life in prison in connection with the crime.

Last week, a Dubai appeals Court reduced the men's sentences to three years after the Yamadayev family relinquished their civil and criminal rights against the defendants.

Aliyev said the men sentenced in Dubai had "only helped with logistics." Those who committed the murder fled to Chechnya, and have been forgiven as well, Aliyev added.

Yamadayev was a powerful rebel leader at odds with Russian-backed Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov. Two of his brothers were also killed, one in by gunfire and the other by a bomb attack.

Aliyev said the family currently maintains "cordial relations" with Kadyrov.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359830,murdered-dubai-forgives-killers.html.

Assad meets Iranian security head in Damascus - Summary

Mon, 27 Dec 2010

Damascus - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with the undersecretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Baqeri on Monday, according to a presidential press statement.

The talks included the issue of Iran's nuclear program. Assad "stressed the importance of continuing negotiations leading to a diplomatic settlement to ensure Iran's right to possess nuclear energy for peaceful use," the statement said.

Baqeri, who has been in Syria on an official visit since Saturday evening, also met with leaders from Palestinian movements at the Iranian embassy in Damascus.

"We believe resistance will determine the future of this region," Baqeri said in a press statement after his meeting with Assad.

"There are many countries in the region which believe resistance is the way to solve the region's problems, and at the center of this view are Syria and Iran," Baqeri added.

Baqeri held separate meetings with the Islamic Jihad Movement Ramadan and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Iranian news agency Al-Fars reported.

Baqeri is also reported to have met with senior Hamas officials in Damascus, as well as Hussein Khalil, a political aide to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Iran provides financial support to Hezbollah, the anti-Israeli militant movement based in southern Lebanon.

Baqeri's talks with al-Assad also included regional security issues, such as the situation in Iraq.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359840,head-damascus-summary.html.

Rights group: two years after Gaza war, Israel not held accountable

Mon, 27 Dec 2010

Gaza City - Two years after its three-week offensive in Gaza, the deadliest in 43 years of occupation, Israel has still not been held accountable for alleged war crimes committed in the campaign, a Palestinian rights group charged Monday.

"This offensive, the single most brutal event in the history of the occupation, was characterized by systematic violations of international law," said the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) on the second anniversary of the start of the war.

Israel launched the campaign of massive shelling from the air, ground and sea upon Hamas targets in the strip on December 27, 2008, in response to a period of near daily rocket and mortar attacks by Palestinian militants at southern Israel.

The aerial bombardments and ground fighting in the densely populated coastal enclave caused massive destruction and, according to PCHR, 1,419 Palestinians were killed - the highest toll in Israeli-Palestinian violence since Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan and Gaza from Egypt in the 1967 Six-Day War.

The Palestinian group said that 83 per cent of the dead were civilians and non-combatant policemen. Another 5,300 were injured.

"In the two years since the offensive, there have been no concrete steps taken towards the fulfillment of victims' legitimate rights to" justice and compensation, charged the group.

It pointed out that numerous reports, including that of a UN fact- finding mission headed by South African judge Richard Goldstone, had found strong evidence that Israeli soldiers committed war crimes during the offensive, including the use of white phosphorous smoke screens in densely populated urban areas, as well as the use of civilians as "human shields."

Only three soldiers have been convicted since the Gaza war, said the group, one of whom was sentenced to seven months in jail for stealing a credit card, while two others received a three-month suspended sentence for using a nine-year-old boy as a human shield.

"This is an insult to victims and to the universal rule of law," it said. It called on the international community to act to hold Israel accountable.

"Impunity serves only to encourage continued violations of international law. Without accountability, how can the civilians of the Gaza Strip feel safe again?" it said.

The Israeli military said it was formulating a reaction.

It has, in the past, defended its actions by saying it did all it could to avoid civilian casualties in the urban areas from where Palestinian militants were firing their rockets and mortar shells by, for example, giving advance warnings of airstrikes.

Israel has also insisted that it has been holding serious internal investigations of specific cases in which Israeli soldiers were accused of having committed crimes. So far, however, the Israeli government has rejected demands to set up an inquiry independent of the military.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359843,war-israel-not-accountable.html.

Arab League chief: Top priority next year is Palestine

Mon, 27 Dec 2010

Cairo - Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said Monday that, among the organization's top priorities in 2011, is the issue of Mideast peace and Palestine.

"The Palestinian issue and the peace process are a priority," said Moussa at a press conference in Cairo, where the 22-member Arab League is based.

The Arab League is gearing for a summit on the topic of Jerusalem to be held in Qatar in early February.

Speaking on the two-year anniversary of "Operation Cast Lead," Israel's three-week long offensive upon the Gaza Strip, Moussa said that the Palestinian people "are steadfast and patient, but suffer a lot because of the occupation and repressive actions."

"I visited Gaza and saw the situation for myself. It was a painful thing to see," said Moussa, who reiterated the Arab League's position that Israel end its blockade on the Gaza Strip.

He said the peace process has lost momentum because of Israel's "unilateralism" and the continuation of settlement construction in the West Bank, a swathe of land to be at the cornerstone of any future independent Palestinian state.

"Negotiating under settlement expansion is a great deception, and how do we negotiate on land being eroded?" asked Moussa.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, earlier this year, was seeking the backing of the Arab League for a number of alternative measures to direct peace talks, including referring the issue to the United Nations Security Council.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359846,top-priority-is-palestine.html.

Blizzard howls into US East Coast, blocking travel - Summary

Mon, 27 Dec 2010

Washington - The first blizzard of the year rammed the north-eastern United States and continued to leave passengers stranded Monday at train stations, airports and highways just after the Christmas holidays.

New York City was in the eye of the storm, reporting more than 50 centimeters of snow fall by Monday morning. All flights were canceled Sunday out of its three main airports and were not expected to restart until Monday afternoon at the earliest.

The story was repeated through much of the North-East, with some regions reporting as much as 70 centimeters of snow, putting a wrench in the plans of millions of people trying to make their way home after the holiday weekend.

Tens of thousands were left without power as states of emergency were declared in regions from North Carolina to Massachusetts. Many blizzard warnings were lifted Monday morning.

Airports in Boston and Philadelphia were open on Monday, but authorities predicted days before travel would return to normal.

Trains were not much of a better option. Amtrak canceled trains through Sunday on the New York-Boston corridor and had resumed only "limited" service early Monday morning. Other local train services remained fully canceled.

Passengers slept on train cars stuck at the platform of New York City's Pennsylvania Station, with no word from authorities on when service to the city's northern suburbs might resume.

"They gave up giving out times," said Robert Scozzari, a Long Island resident who remained stranded at the station Monday morning. "I find it unbelievable that they can't get the Long Island Rail Road running again."

Bus services were also put on hold, and many cars were stranded along highways. The Automobile Association of America urged people to stay off the roads. But if they attempt to drive, they should pack water, blankets, boots and charged cell phones, the group said.

"This storm is hitting at an incredibly frustrating time for holiday travelers," association spokesman Jim Lardear said.

The same weather system had earlier dumped a week of rain and flooding on California from mid-December, then moved through the Midwest and South, where it delivered the first white Christmas in more than 100 years to several areas, including Atlanta, Georgia.

More than 25 centimeters of snow had fallen on North Carolina, causing traffic chaos among drivers and road departments unaccustomed to snow.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359852,blocking-travel-summary.html.